


Found

by HeathenVampires



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Adult Parent/Child Incest, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Ignores Frozen 2, Incest, No spoilers for Frozen 2, Post-Frozen (2013), Probably some angst, Sibling Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-04-11 23:20:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 23
Words: 60,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21585286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeathenVampires/pseuds/HeathenVampires
Summary: Amazed to have survived the shipwreck that took her husband and over three years from her, Iduna finally makes it home to find a great deal has changed in that time.
Relationships: Anna/Elsa (Disney), Iduna/Anna/Elsa
Comments: 386
Kudos: 735





	1. Chapter 1

**Well, it wouldn't be ** ** _me _ ** **if my first proper venture into a new fandom wasn't some good ol' family fun now would it? And yes, by family fun, I do mean this fic will contain a considerable amount of incest. Consider thyself warned. Don't like it, don't read it. Flames will be used to toast vegan marshmallows.**

**No spoilers (or canon compliance) for Frozen II. It's an AU post the first Frozen, with some established Elsanna and a surprise survivor.**

-IEA-

_So cold... _

_The water broke above her head and she did her best to breathe, the icy temperature making it hard to get any air as her body tried to shut down. Iduna blinked to try and clear her vision, but could see very little. She looked around all the same, using what little breath she had to call out for her husband.  
_

_"Agnarr!"_

_He was nowhere, and when Iduna foolishly ducked beneath the surface again there was still no sign of him. Frantic and losing strength, Iduna swam with the current; she didn't have it in her to fight it, even without the stormy weather. The land she saw might have been a hallucination, but survival urged her on all the same. When sand stuck to her hands she pulled herself up, gasping for air and soaked, frozen to the bone. _

_She called out for her husband again, a last attempt at hope that he'd hear her through the storm and waves and find his way to land like her. Not that Iduna had any idea where she was. Or how she might get home. Or even **if**_ _she could home._ _  
_

* * *

Arendelle didn't look exactly as she remembered. There were still cobbled streets and cliffs overlooking the docks that led out to the open sea. When Iduna's eyes found their memorial site, she saw two new stones in the Royalty section. Her heart skittered with panic in her chest -_ had something happened to her children?_ \- before the realisation hit her. Those were stones for she and Agnarr. Despite exhaustion and a need to get over to the castle, Iduna felt herself drawn to the graveyard.

Her fingernails were dirty and rough as she ran her hand over her husbands stone, sending out silent thoughts to her lost husband. She'd mourned him for many moons now, though she didn't know for certain how long it had been.

The rooves of all the buildings were dusted with ice, glittering under the moonlight. It reminded Iduna of her daughters bedroom sometimes, those rare times she was happy after they seperated the girls. What had happened in all the years since?

Now she was looking, Iduna realised the new flags were raised. A new queen had been crowned. She'd missed her daughters coronation.

How was Elsa coping? They hadn't trained her perfectly, Iduna admitted to herself - trying to understand and control her powers had taken precedent, but they'd never truly been able to contain them and Iduna feared endlessly the whole time they were away that something had gone wrong, that Elsa's magic had caused some kind of devastation. So far, Arendelle seemed to be standing.

It didn't occur to her right away, just something niggling at the edges of her mind until she reached them.

The gates were _open._

It was night, and the castle doors were closed, most of the lights off. So the gates weren't open for some kind of event. They were just... open.

Feeling almost like an intruder, Iduna knocked. There used to be guards at the front at night, but not now. The sound of her knuckles on the door seemed to echo through the courtyard, and it took a moment or two for somebody to actually open the door, visibly suspicious of the late night visitor.

"Who are you?"

Knowing she mustn't look much the part, Iduna straightened up.

"It's me. Queen Iduna."

"Nice try, but the kingdom lost Queen Iduna more than three years past. Guards! Remove this woman!"

Seeing two burly, uniformed men approaching, Iduna managed to slide in under the doormans arm.

"No, wait! It really is me!"

Without the perfectly groomed hair and perfectly tailored clothes, with the struggle for survival wasting her body away for months at a time and no regular access to the finest bathing supplies, Iduna didn't think she'd be that recognisable. But _still,_ there must be someone she could convince.

"I really will have to insist you-"

About to try and dodge the approaching guards, Iduna's panic was interrupted by another voice.

_"Iduna?_ Is that you?"

"Alice! Yes, yes, it's me!"

The tailor who Iduna had known for some twenty years, who made her pretty dresses and told her funny stories... _she _recgonised Iduna.

"Guards, stand down! I doubt our current monarch would appreciate you ousting their mother from the castle forcibly. Come now, let's get you cleaned up and-"

Though she desperately needed it, Iduna shook her head.

"No, no, I need to see my girls!"

Everyone around her exchanged several loaded looks, before Alice patted her arm.

"They'll be sleeping. Come now, lets make sure they'll recognise you. It gets cold here at night, your hands are freezing my dear."

There was something Iduna wasn't being told, though the portrait in the hall that was clearly a coronation painting for Elsa said that she'd made it those three years to be crowned, and there stood _Anna _at her side, smiling brightly. Something about Anna was different, and there was a funny little snowman in the painting too...

Alice shooed her into a bedroom and insisted she get a hot bath while suitable clothes were found, and one look at her frail frame had Alice insisting she get a meal too.

"Nothing too heavy, I doubt she's eaten well for a time and we do not wish to make the queen unwell."

Iduna soaked her chilled bones in the hot water and scrubbed herself clean, wrapped in something soft and comfortable while Alice fussed with her hair and nails, insisting she'd need to see the right people in the morning for 'proper restoration'.

"At least there's a little colour in your cheeks now. Eat up!"

Feeling like a little girl being told to eat her vegetables, Iduna put away as much as she could fit in her shrunken stomach before pushing the bowl away. She'd always said a lady finished her meals, but it really was richer and more plentiful than she'd eaten for a while, and she couldn't eat another mouthful.

"Well, there's work to be done, but at least nobody will fail to recognise you now."

Nodding, Iduna turned to the hovering aide.

"I want to see my daughters."

She'd let them make sure it was definitely her - which was the only reason some of them had left Alice to clean her up, she was certain - and now Iduna wanted to see her daughters.

But again, there were looks exchanged and awkward silence followed before excuses were made.

"Like I said, they'll be sleeping. Let's get you set up to rest first-"

"No!"

Hoping the movement didn't jostle her stomach to the point of vomiting, Iduna got up and ran, almost stumbling in the soft slippers she wasn't yet used to. Even after years away Iduna remembered her way around the castle, and since she wasn't sure if Elsa would have taken the master suite that once belonged to them, Iduna went straight to Elsa's bedroom. The door was open, and while it still contained a bed and little personal effects, it was empty.

"My lady Iduna, I must insist you-"

Ignoring them, Iduna headed toward Anna's bedroom. She saw a few night staff, all strangely wearing something over their ears. For warmth, she assumed. She turned on to the corridor for Anna's door, and then she heard something... strange.

Muffled whimpers and thuds, punctuated by a scream seconds later that made Iduna fear somebody was _hurting _her daughter. Gripping the door handle, she threw open the door and was greeted by something she could never have prepared for.

A stark naked Anna didn't even notice her at first, all attention clearly taken by the head still between her legs, and Iduna would know that ethereal shade of platinum anywhere.

_Elsa._

Anna's eyes opened at last, a smile crossing her face before her gaze drifted over, and she screamed for a whole new reason when she saw someone standing in the door. Elsa looked up, eyes widening and the fabric beneath her hands seeming to bloom with snowflakes out of nowhere.

"Mom!"

-IEA-

**Ooooh, this should be fun! Future chapters should hopefully be longer too, but intros are hard.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, a very positive amount of interest in the intro! Let's see where we end up.**

-IEA-

As though she hadn't found her daughters in an incredibly compromising (and frankly unbelievable) position, Anna leapt up from the bed and hugged Iduna - still completely nude, while Elsa was at least making a token effort to hide herself.

"Uh, Anna?"

"What? It's mom!"

"Yeah, yeah I know, but don't you think you should put something on first?"

As though only just realising she'd thrown herself at her mother while naked, Anna backed away with a nervous smile and flushed cheeks as she turned back and forth, looking for clothes before rather oddly turning to Elsa.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

Confused - by _everything _\- Iduna watched on in shock as Elsa merely waved her fingers in Anna's direction before a glittering blue and green nightdress covered her body, fitting perfectly and looking not to leave her chilled at all. The darker blue nightdress that Elsa bore seemingly by thought at least meant Iduna had somewhere to _look _at last, though she was still thrown by the ... _situation_ she had found them in.

Now dressed, Anna turned back to Iduna with wide eyes and wider smile.

"Is it really you?"

"Yes, Anna, it's me."

"We heard... your ship" Anna's face darkened quickly to one that was hope and fear in equal measure "what happened to father?"

Iduna bit her lip, feeling a pang of grief and guilt still lingering. Why had she survived to escape the icy depths when Agnarr hadn't?

"He didn't make it. I'm still very surprised that I did... Elsa, how did you do that?"

"Do what?"

Trying not to remember what she'd been _doing _just before... Iduna gestured to their clothes, still shimmering in the nearby candlelight.

"Oh. I uh... I can control my powers now. Mostly. Sometimes there's still a little random snow, and it's a little colder in Arendelle all year round now. But it's better than the eternal winter, so..."

"The what?"

Elsa sighed, finally climbing up from the bed. Anna's bed. Anna's bed where Elsa had been...

"We have a lot to catch up on."

Her eldest daughter seemed wary of approaching Iduna at all, and Iduna found herself relieved when she realised why Elsa's face was damp, what the shine on her mouth was. Of all the ways she'd imagined their reunion, from perfect to terrible and every way in between, _that _was in absolutely none of her thoughts.

"Hey Anna? Go uh... take mother to the lounging room. I'll be along in a minute."

Another flick of Elsa's fingers and Anna had a matching dressing gown and slippers around her, and the lack of surprise in her face told Iduna that whatever it was she'd just done, Elsa did it regularly. Anna led her along, several of the staff members who'd tried to catch Iduna now hovering anxiously in the hallway while Elsa vanished to what Iduna could only _hope _was the bathroom to clean herself up in.

Well, at least Iduna knew what everyone was trying to keep her from finding.

"Anna."

"Yeah mom?"

"About what I walked in on..."

"Oh. Uh. How about we talk about that when we're alone?"

Realising people could very easily hear them, Iduna nodded and fell silent for a minute. Well, until...

"Hi! Who's this?"

"Ahhh! What on earth is _that_?"

"Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

There was a snowman. The snowman from the portrait. Except it couldn't be a snowman, because they weren't alive. They couldn't talk. They didn't run along hallways on snow legs, holding out stick arms with a smile on their snow-face. With a snow cloud dropping snowflakes on to its snow head. It even _blinked._

"Uh, Olaf, back up a little. Remember, we talked about meeting new people?"

Of course, Anna was talking to it. It was just that sort of night.

"Oh, right, sorry! Where are my manners?"

Now the snowm- no, _not _a snowman, because it couldn't be - held out just one stick arm, as though reaching for a handshake while also giving a small bow.

"This is Olaf. Elsa made him, and... yeah, he's Olaf. He won't hurt you. Olaf, this is our mother, Iduna."

"Oh wow! Hi Anna and Elsa's mom! It's so good to finally meet you, I've only seen pictures!"

Turning to her, Anna gave Iduna a slightly pained smile.

"Why don't you go on ahead, just to that room there? I won't be long."

Iduna went, just to get away from the weird snow thing. As she walked away, she heard Anna telling 'Olaf' to give them some time, so Iduna could catch up on the last three years.

Wait. _Olaf... _that was the name Anna always used to give to the snowman she and Elsa made. Before the accident that changed their lives. Clearly Anna knew of Elsa's magic again, but she was fine. Aside from the...

Shaking those disturbing images from her mind, Iduna perched awkwardly on the sofa. She felt out of place in her own castle. Snow had begun to fall outside the window. Was Elsa doing that?

"Yes, I know Anna, but I still don't think it's appropriate."

"Are you saying we should-"

Did they know she could hear them? Iduna wasn't sure, tried not to eavesdrop but couldn't resist.

"I'm not saying anything right now, except that there's a lot to tell mother about. Let's prioritise for now."

There was a silence Iduna didn't want to think about the cause of, and then the two of them walked in together, fingers still touching as they obviously released each others hands just before Iduna saw them holding them in the first place.

Anna knelt down and fiddled with the fireplace until heat filled the chilled room, crackling light washing over the three of them.

"Someone's bringing us hot drinks, but what do you want to know?"

Oh hell, where did Iduna even _start? _

"Elsa's powers."

Perhaps her daughters in bed together was more pressing, but Iduna wasn't sure she wanted the answers to _those _questions.

"Ok. Well... after you guys- well, after we _thought _you and dad went down and we had the funeral and everything, Elsa still didn't really come out or see me or anything for the next three years."

Elsa's face was tight, pained by Anna's words and the two seemed to reach to comfort each other on instinct, before withdrawing and eyeing Iduna in a way that said they were behaving for _her _benefit.

"I have a whole trunk just full of the same gloves, over and over again, but I still couldn't control them. Everything I touched became cold. I took them off for about ten seconds for my coronation, and I _still_ froze the things I had to hold."

"I was just really excited to have the gates open and for there to be people and life in the castle again. It was a quiet few years. And then I got engaged to this guy I just met who turned out to be a huge jerk" Elsa snorted and Anna gave her a sheepish smile "but anyway, Elsa said she wouldn't bless our marriage. I got kinda mad when she decided to stop the party cus I knew I couldn't go back to all the silence and loneliness. I kinda pulled off one of her gloves and she got mad at me for bugging her and then there was ice everywhere!"

Anna was a much more dramatic storyteller than Elsa, wild gestures and bouncing in her seat, seeming to be reliving it as she spoke. Elsa was more sedate, and _sad _about what she said.

"Then the secret was out and I just ran. It works better through skin, but it's also tied to how I feel so when I stepped on the water, it froze under my boots and I ran and ran and ran. I went to the North Mountain, and figured I could stay there and be myself, be free. I didn't know it at the time, but I think because I'd restrained it for so long, my powers were _over_ powered and the winter spread across the fjord."

They picked up each others sentences flawlessly, and Anna continued where Elsa could not.

"It was _really _cold! The ships all froze in the water, and there was snow everywhere and blizzards! Anyway, I went after Elsa. Hans - thats the jerk guy - tried to stop me, and because I was distracted and a bit stupid I left Hans in charge. Although apparently he didn't do anything wrong while I was gone other than plan to kill Elsa a couple of times and also basically waited for me to be killed too. I should have punched him harder."

"Yes, yes you should."

"Girls!"

"What? He _literally _almost killed us both mom!"

Anna was unrepentant, crossing her arms and pouting a little bit, just like she had when she was five and couldn't have more sweets.

"Anna's telling the truth, he did."

"Anyway, as I was _saying_" Anna drawled, then turned to the door and reached for the steaming mugs being wheeled in on a tray "thanks! Anyway, yeah, so I headed off to the North Mountain. I was _not _dressed for it. My dress got frozen so I went to this trading store that I didn't even know existed, and got some winter clothes. And that's where I met Kristoff. He was very grumpy that day but then I guess he didn't expect a blizzard, and then Mr Oaken wanted to charge him more for his carrots and rope. I bought them for him and got him to take me up the mountain and he yelled at me about Hans for a bit. Then there were wolves" Iduna was going to have gone grey by the end of this story, she was certain "and the sled fell off a cliff and exploded. Kristoff was _maaaaad._"

Anna barely stopped for breath, but she _did_ stop to sip her hot chocolate. Iduna's had sat in her hands, a little too hot but she lifted it to her mouth just for something to do other than gawk at the madness her daughters had gotten up to while she was far, far away.

"Eventually, they found me. And I tried to send Anna away."

"Yeah. That was rude. Never do that again."

Elsa's face tightened in pain before it smoothed out again, eyes practically bleeding love as she looked at Anna.

"Never. I promised, didn't I?"

"Yes, and you better keep it missy! Anyway, where were we?"

"Elsa sending you away."

"Right! She was still struggling to get her powers under control back then, which will alllllll become clear later! But anyway, I was trying to get her to come home so we could figure things out, but Elsa said she didn't know how to unfreeze the winter. I'm stubborn, so I kept trying, and then there were all these snowflakes... and then Elsa tried to push me away and accidentally hit me with some ice. Then she made Marshmallow."

"Mar-Marshmallow?"

"Yeah. He's like a huge Olaf, but meaner. He did _not _like me throwing a snowball at him. Kristoff dragged me away and I was sort of stuck cus if I couldn't get Elsa to unfreeze the winter then what was I gonna do about Arendelle? It was totally frozen! Then after that I sort of collapsed cus Elsa froze my heart. Kristoff took me to these rocks that he called his family."

Elsa picked up then.

"They were the trolls you took us to when we were children, when I... hurt Anna."

The snow outside the window was falling thicker.

"But they couldn't fix my frozen heart. Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart. So... I thought that was Hans, cus I was stupid. Then Hans told me he didn't love me and left me to die while he went to kill Elsa. He managed to capture her and bring her back to Arendelle, I think. Olaf came to help me cus I couldn't really move much. Elsa busted out of jail with her super ice powers, and Hans went after her. And he told her I was dead because of the heart thing, and used that to try and hurt her. Did I mention he was a jerk?"

"Several times love."

There was a hint of a smile on Elsa's face for a minute, before it faded again.

"Anna threw herself in front of me, just in time to freeze solid and stop Hans from killing me. I thought... I thought I'd lost her for good."

"But you didn't! Because I loved you, and saving her was an act of true love and it thawed me. And that's how Elsa learned to control her powers! She thought about how much she loved me, and the eternal winter went away! And now Arendelle gets a bit chillier and there's a _giant _snow dude living in a giant ice castle on the North Mountain, but... everything is good now."

"What happened to this Hans?"

"Hans? He got punched in the face by yours truly!"

"And then he was sent home to his twelve older brothers. Last I heard from the Southern Isles, he was a stable boy. As far as I'm concerned, he's getting off far too lightly for hurting Anna."

Elsa's fists balled in her lap, and the room grew cold enough that Iduna could see her own breath come out in vapour. Anna laid her hand on Elsa's arm, and the chill went away as though it were never there to begin with.

"I'm out of hot chocolate, damnit."

"Here, take mine."

"You sure?"

Elsa nodded, nudged her mug over to her sister.

"I never drink it but the staff feel obliged to make me something if they're making it for Anna."

"Why not?"

Iduna wasn't sure why she asked, other than to delay the inevitable next topic of conversation. Elsa shrugged.

"I like things cold, mostly. But hey, I don't need gloves anymore."

"And she almost never accidentally freezes things!"

Anna said, bright and smiley again as she finished off Elsa's hot drink. Iduna sort of wanted to forget she'd seen anything, but her mind wouldn't quite let her, seeing the tenderness with which the two looked at each other, and the sense of intruding on something intimate and private whenever they touched each other.

"Girls."

"Yeah?"

"About... I don't think..."

Elsa didn't need her to elaborate; she knew what their mother was getting at.

"We know."

"We already went through all that before. But... I love Elsa, and nobody can change that. Not even you, mom. Much as I'm _so happy _you're alive! How did that happen?"

Bemused, Iduna could only stare at her daughters in shock. Surely Anna didn't think she could just sweep what she'd seen under the rug so swiftly? By the look on Elsa's face, she thought much the same. Staring down at the mug in her hands, Iduna suddenly wished for something stronger than cocoa. It was going to be a _long _night, she felt.

-IEA-

**I could clearly picture Anna the whole way through, telling the story dramatically (not that I think Olaf is a bad story teller. I just think Iduna is gonna need some time to get used to the idea of sentient snow).**


	3. Chapter 3

**My HTTYD readers have been told this before, but to those of you who are new here, I have to make something abundantly plain.**

**I _abhor _reviews/comments that are just "please/plz update/update soon" and nothing else. There is nothing that will put me off working on a story quicker than that, it makes me feel soooo anxious. I have _no _problem with a "hope you update soon" as part of something else, but I get nothing from aforementioned types because there's nothing about the fic in them. So yeah... if you _want _more updates, please stop being pushy and demanding. I'm a human, not a machine for your entertainment and I don't respond well under pressure.  
**

**Anyway...**

**I don't know that this will forever mostly be in Iduna POV, but since shes the one having an emotional time it's working for now.**

-IEA-

Iduna was about to start explaining her survival and time 'away', but Elsa suddenly chimed in.

"Before anything else... where do you plan to sleep tonight?"

"Excuse me?"

Elsa raised one slim eyebrow, then shrugged to herself.

"I meant, do you intend to go back to your... old room, or would you prefer I have somewhere prepared for you?"

Iduna blinked a few times. She hadn't thought of that. The thought of going back to the room she'd shared with Agnarr made pain pulse in her chest.

"Somewhere else."

Elsa nodded, squeezed Anna's hand and offered her sister a tight smile before leaving the room. Anna was still a fidget, drumming her fingers against the cushion of her seat and her hands on her knees, tapping her slippered feet on the ground. Finally, Iduna could take the silence no more.

"Anna-"

"Mom-"

"Oh, you first."

"No, you."

They shared a nervous giggle, something Anna had definitely got from her.

"I know everything is like, super crazy and you probably feel like you can't fit it all inside your head, but... I am really happy you're here. We missed you a whooole lot."

Her younger daughter was so very honest, her smile so earnest and genuine. Iduna could only nod, welling up a little with the acknowledgement despite everything. After a few deep breaths, she managed to find her voice again.

"Thank you Anna. I am... glad to be home."

Elsa rejoined them before either found any new words, carrying a heavy cup of something that she handed over to Iduna.

"What is this?"

"Oh, some fancy wine, it was a gift for my coronation. I already had it tested, it's not poisoned. It's quite potent, but you looked as though you could do with 'a stiff drink', as Kristoff would say. Drink it slowly, or Alice will scold me like I'm still a child."

Iduna took a small sip, and Elsa wasn't lying about the strength, the taste heavily sweet but carrying a burn all the way from lips to belly.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Elsa took her seat next to Anna again, the two definitely sitting closer than strictly necessary, but really Iduna considered that the least of her concerns when it came to her daughters closeness.

"So... how did you make it back here? How did it take you so long?"

Iduna took another sip of wine, grateful for the bracing burn as it chased away some of the sickly flutters in her stomach. _Survivors guilt,_ she'd heard it called by soldiers who came back when their comrades hadn't.

"I remember the ship going over, sort of. I can still hear Agnarr calling out to me as the sea came up to claim our decks. The next thing I knew was being _so cold, _and everything around me was black. I felt the water break above my head, found myself in the middle of a storm. I called out for Agnarr, I even went back underwater to see if he was there... but there was no sign of him. He was just... gone."

Another sip of wine. Her tolerance would be low, but she had not had much anyway. Getting it all off her chest was somewhat cathartic after so long alone and lost. Adrift for years, Iduna was still getting used to having found the safe land of home.

"I swam. Or tried to. The current pushed me along, and then I felt sand sticking to my hands and I pulled myself out of the water. I tried to call out for him again, but there was nothing."

They were silent for a few minutes, and Iduna found herself worried they would blame her somehow. Perhaps she could have tried harder to find him? Called out longer?

"It wasn't your fault mother."

"What?"

Elsa was looking at her with an unreadable expression, but her tone was even and there was no accusation in her face or words.

"Losing father. It was not your fault. It's a miracle of the gods _you _survived, and made it back. Do not blame yourself for what was beyond your control."

"It doesn't feel that way."

"Your ship went down, would you blame anyone else for surviving over the other passengers if it were _any _other ship?"

Iduna frowned, but eventually sighed.

"No. I suppose not. But if a ship you were on went down and you lost... Anna, wouldn't you feel guilty?"

Elsa seemed to recoil from the very idea, the room chilling again before Anna reached out and clasped Elsa's hand between her own, leaning in closer as though her own wamrth could thaw the ice that Elsa carried.

"Hey, hey. I'm right here."

Iduna knew their closeness was wrong, but when she saw how naturally Anna responded to her sisters emotions, how the years apart had not severed their bond completely, it was harder to hold the situation in her mind as completely black and white.

The heat of the fire touched her again, the constant back and forth enough to make a wave of fatigue wash over Iduna, and her poorly stifled yawn did not go unnoticed.

"It is getting late. We'll talk more tomorrow."

Iduna's... _concerns _flooded back at that, fairly certain that her daughters would not be going to seperate beds once they saw Iduna off to her own for the night. They shared a silent look before Anna hopped up from her seat, coming over to lift Iduna to her feet and begin leading her out of the room.

"It's ok mama, we'll still be here in the morning but you need to rest. Hey, what do you want for breakfast tomorrow? You probably have to eat sorta carefully, right?"

That vibrant energy, the way Anna seemed to thrum with _life _had not changed a bit, and she still chattered away with her broad smile and all but skipped on the spot.

"Yes, for the moment I have to be mindful."

"Your Highness, and... Your other Highness" of _course,_ Iduna was no longer 'Your Majesty'... that would take some getting used to from the staff "this way."

Kai led them to a room prepared for her, laid out with luxurious materials and heavy covers, one of the few bedrooms in the castle with its own fireplace lest Iduna somehow feel a chill.

"We'll figure out where you want to spend your nights more permanently tomorrow, and I'll make sure you have some fresh clothes to put on tomorrow. I imagine Alice is itching to have your hair and everything done properly in the morning too... right. Well, goodnight mother. I hope you rest well."

Iduna felt a small smile steal across her face at that half-resigned, half-fond way Anna mentioned Alice. Anna hugged her again before slipping away, giving Iduna no time to ask which bed she'd be in that night. Then again, perhaps she didn't want the answer to dwell upon. Clambering into the plush, silk-soft bed and pulling the thick blankets up over her, Iduna realised she was more tired than she thought, and let sleep claim her for the night.

* * *

Watching her sister snore lightly next to her, Elsa still thought the fact Anna slept so ungracefully was adorable. No matter how many times their mother had tucked her in in 'lady like' ways, closing her open mouth or putting her arms down rather than leave them slung over the pillow, Anna was still prone to the occasional drooling, open mouthed snoring, her hair forever a mess no matter how neatly it was tied the night before.

Although really, Elsa thought their mother had far larger concerns about how Anna spent her nights now.

_Gods, _their mother was alive. Really, actually alive and home. They'd mourned her, held a funeral and Elsa had frozen her entire bedroom so thoroughly she was worried the wall would crumble before her eyes. A lump still rose in her throat when she remembered Anna outside her door that night, begging to be let in now they only had each other. Truly, Elsa counted her blessings that Anna had been willing to forgive her all of it.

As though sensing Elsa's turbulent mood even in her sleep, Anna curled up and burrowed into her sisters body, sighing happily when Elsa laid an arm over her. Her heart seemed to swell in her chest with how much she _loved _Anna. It wasn't only Anna's frozen heart that thawed that day... she'd broken down the ice around Elsa's heart too. And given Elsa the control of her powers that had always seemed so impossible.

"Hey, go to sleep."

Anna mumbled sleepily into her chest, one teal eye cracked open to peer up at her.

"Sorry. Thinking."

Yawning, Anna simply snuggled her again and was asleep in seconds. Elsa smiled at her cuteness, and did her best to quiet her brain.

Sleepovers were how it started for them, really. They had years of missed slumber parties to make up for, according to Anna, especially since they'd shared a bedroom before the... incident. So Anna had just started inviting herself into Elsa's room at night, dressed in her nightclothes and usually carrying chocolate. They'd talk until Anna fell asleep (Anna _always _fell asleep first, unless Elsa had been working 'too hard'), and Elsa never had the heart to oust her sister from her bed, even though those first nights, Elsa did fear that her powers might still do their own thing in her sleep. As a girl, she'd woken to snowfall before.

And the other thing they had to make up for, according to Anna, was cuddling. Anna was _so _tactile, forever holding Elsa's hand, playing with her hair, asking Elsa to braid hers when she was truly determined to stop Elsa doing more paperwork of an evening.

Elsa still remembered the first flickers of guilt, and their first shy kisses, those first clumsy touches. It seemed another lifetime ago that Anna didn't take up space in her bed, that Elsa didn't spend most of her nights drawing the sweetest sounds from her sisters lips.

She'd wondered aloud a couple of times to Anna - had their years apart been the cause for why they felt _that way _for each other? But her sister was less interested in that, and saw it in simpler terms of "I love you and you love me, and what we do feels right". Elsa was slowly coming to see it from her point of view, so long as Anna respected the paramount secrecy.

Sleep finally claimed her, though it was with a tingle in her belly after thoughts of those first nights exploring Anna's body, of being explored in turn. Anna was still dead to the world, but the sun was barely rising when Elsa looked to the small crack in the curtains.

Anna grumbled as Elsa made to leave the bed, mewling softly when lips pressed to messy hair before she snuggled deeper into the warm covers. Elsa slipped out herself, heading for the bathroom to relieve herself and clean her teeth. She dressed in the bathroom, because if Anna woke in time to see her in any state of undress... Elsa usually ended up running late.

The morning staff were starting to mill about, but she knew none would enter her room until Anna had been seen awake. That had been a rule back when they had more innocent sleepovers, but Elsa credited her staff with intelligence. They knew. They just pretended not to.

"Ah, Your Majesty! Good morning."

"Good morning Alice, did you need something?"

"Yes. Your mother is asking for you. She requested to see you both, but I informed her that the princess is not such an early riser, and I promised I would pass on the message if I saw either of you."

With a quick bow, Alice excused herself, paper in her hand covered in measurements... perhaps she meant to make the previous monarch some new, more fitting attire that wasn't borrowed from her daughters? Elsa couldn't think who else she might have been measuring when dawn had barely broken.

Bracing herself as though heading to some kind of important political meeting, Elsa drew in a few deep breaths before she headed toward Iduna's current room. Anna was better at this, better at ignoring all the tension and smiling, and keeping Elsa from accidentally freezing things...

Elsa knocked, a soft voice inviting her in. Iduna was sat on the very edge of her bed, a steaming mug clutched between her thin hands. Her hair was down but clearly had been brushed, and she wore what Elsa recognised as Anna's old dressing gown. If nothing else, Alice seemed to have taken it as her personal duty to care for the no-longer-lost lost queen.

"Mother?"

-IEA-

**Ooooh, what a fun chat these two could have.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Matjojo - Nope, I left a little while back.**

**I feel like some readers are getting a _little _ahead of the game here... Iduna has been back _one_ night, and is in no fit state, physically or mentally, to be jumping into bed with anyone. Nor is the relationship between she and her daughters settled, they've all had a big emotional shock. Just let me do my thing, timewise, and you shall be rewarded for your patience. Sometimes with smut, and other times with randomly early updates like this!  
**

-IEA-

Inhaling the steam still rising from her mug, Iduna felt the warmth infuse her hands as she looked Elsa over. Last night she'd been a little more relaxed, tension evident in her frame now it was just the two of them.

"Elsa."

"You asked to see me?"

"I did... where's Anna?"

"Still sleeping."

Of course Elsa would know that. Frowning slightly, Iduna sipped her drink.

"Are you busy this morning? Am I keeping you from duties?"

Elsa hummed, shaking her head as she shifted from one foot to the other.

"No. I take one morning a week off, save for emergencies. Anna is teaching me to ride a horse."

Halfway to lifting the mug to her lips again, Iduna froze as Elsa's words stirred something in her mind.

"Of course. You never finished your lessons."

Elsa nodded slowly, a sad smile playing across her mouth.

"Yeah... but Anna likes being able to teach me. And I'm teaching her to ice skate, since she didn't learn as a girl."

"Ice skate?"

"Favourite pasttime of Arendelle, now it has a queen who can make a skate rink anywhere."

A softer smile graced Elsa's features then, as though envisioning happy memories with a wistful air. The sky outside was bright and clear, nothing to suggest it could be blanketed by snowfall at any moment.

"Did you ever discover _why _you have powers, Elsa?"

Her shoulders rolled in a deep shrug.

"Pabbie thinks it may be that I was born on the Solstice, or that sometimes magic just knows where to go."

"Pabbie?"

"Grandpabbie, the leader of the trolls."

Obviously, Iduna should have known that. Her daughters, living with a talking snowman and befriending magical trolls, learning to do things they'd been unable to as children because of the seperation...

"I see."

They were still in silence a few minutes more, until Elsa seemed too tense to wait it out.

"So, what did you want to talk about this morning mother?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"Of course not, but you had us sent for so I assumed there was something in particular."

They both knew what Iduna wanted to ask, but apparently Elsa was going to make her _say _it. Her eyes flickered across to the door, which Elsa checked was closed before waving her fingers at it, soft snowfall swirling to fill the cracks around the edges.

"Why did you do that?"

"Snow helps keep sounds in. Go on mother. Ask me."

Draining the last of her drink before it went cold, Iduna placed her mug aside and felt herself wringing her hands, anxious.

"How... _why... _what happened to you and Anna?"

Despite urging Iduna to get on and say it, Elsa still seemed offset about how to answer. Her face twitched in thought, lips quirking down in to a slight frown as her daughter sought the right words.

"We were apart for so long... and when everything was ok again, when I could control my powers and the gates were open, Anna and I kind of had to start over with each other. We still loved each other, but... I think perhaps we didn't _kno__w_ each other anymore. And when we started to rebuild what was broken, I think... something else had the room to grow there."

Iduna had regretted locking Elsa away so many times through the years, but Agnarr had been adamant she learn to hide, to conceal. It had fostered _so _much fear in the young girl, barely even allowing them to touch her. Elsa even learned to braid her own hair by the time she was nine, so afraid to let other people close. The trolls had warned them that fear would be her enemy... and it was true. Love and acceptance had brought Elsa out of locked rooms, and now she didn't even need gloves to help her keep her powers in check.

Perhaps if they'd never taken her away from Anna, Elsa could have learned sooner. And maybe then they wouldn't have become... _that._

"Anna sees it differently."

Elsa broke the silence, drawing Iduna out of her thoughts.

"Oh?"

"If you ask her, she'll just say that we love each other, and that the way we are when we're together feels right for us. Which... I can't argue with. I _am _sorry you had to find out like _that, _it can't have been how you pictured it after waiting so long to see us again."

Iduna nodded.

"Quite. You... you know you can't continue that relationship Elsa."

Instantly, she felt that chill sweep the room, her breath visible as it left her mouth. Elsa had her arms around herself, and Iduna _saw_ the frightened girl hidden behind her bedroom door she'd left behind.

"You can't just... I know you didn't choose to be away, but mother, you cannot just come back and decide for us what we do. I'm very glad you are home, but... we're not children anymore. You don't make the rules for me."

With another wave of her hand, Elsa vanished every single snowflake in a second before pulling open the door and sweeping out. Iduna expected a little backchat from Anna, who didn't always necessarily think before she spoke, but _Elsa? _Elsa had been afraid to be left alone when she was still eighteen.

_That was then. She's different now._

Rubbing a hand over her face, Iduna wasn't even sure what she would do next. She hadn't dressed that morning yet, since Alice insisted on measuring her for some new clothes, muttering about leaving a little room for her to 'fill out' into them. Iduna did feel a little strange wearing Anna's clothes - Elsa was too tall for any of her long, flowing gowns to fit her mother, even though she'd heard Alice complain that Elsa now 'made all her own clothes', which Iduna took to mean the same magic she used to create nightdresses last night also worked for daywear.

It took her a while to dress, having to find something that didn't require her hands to work hard at fastening complicated ties on. She was out of practice, and not quite up to asking for help. Alice didn't really wait to be asked. Almost the second she left her assigned bedroom, there was somebody talking to her.

"Ah, Your Highness. My name is Finn. I'm new."

That shouldn't have surprised her - they had reduced the staff back when they closed Elsa off, but staff aged and retired and new needs may have arisen. He was young, hair perfectly combed but a few locks of dark brown kept falling into his face when he bowed.

"Good morning Finn. Did you need something?"

"Alice informed me I should collect you for breakfast, and then take you to see the Lady's maids when you were done. And, if I may say so... it's a pleasure to meet you. Princess Anna has always spoken very highly of you."

"Not Elsa?"

Iduna asked before she could stop herself, and Finn looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Ah. Well, Her Majesty did not really... socialise until very recently. I am sure she thinks most highly of you also. Shall we?"

She let him lead her, and while she didn't doubt that Elsa had continued to be reclusive - even more so without her parents around for company - Iduna was left wondering what Elsa truly thought of her. They'd locked her up, kept her from her sister, from almost any human contact for over _ten _years. They'd gone away without leaving some form of instruction for what was to be done if they didn't return, and that was _careless. _Somebody should have _been_ there for Elsa.

"Finn?"

"Yes Your Highness?"

He was still a little green, she could tell, his uniform pressed almost too tightly and he did the occasional peering glance from hallway to hallway of someone who had not yet memorised every corner and corridor of the castle.

"I understand she may be busy, but could you ask the Queen if she's available to speak to me later?"

"Of course... but don't you want to ask her yourself?"

She'd tried that already, and it left her with more questions than answers.

"Not just yet. I have some things to make up before I can really ask anything of my daughter, I fear."

Finn cleared his throat, but said nothing on Iduna's perhaps ill-thought admission.

"I shall ensure the request reaches the Queen for you."

"Thank you Finn."

He smiled, bowing as he led her to the room they were to eat it. It wasn't the one they used to use. It was smaller, and housed only three tables, one of which staff members were taking breakfast at, another bearing the various foodstuffs. The third...

The third was quite something all by itself.

"Hi Anna and Elsa's mom!"

The strange talking... thing that called itself Olaf was actually sat at the table, with a plate and mug there as though it were the most normal thing in the world. And that was only slightly stranger than the fact there was an honest-to-gods reindeer sat close by, being fed carrots by the giggling snow-creature. A large blond man sat watching them, his expression one that said he was used to such mornings until his eyes landed on Iduna.

"Whoa! Wait. What? Olaf, did you say Anna and Elsa's mom?"

"Yeah! She turned up last night but got scared when I asked for a hug" 'Olaf' hopped from the chair and walked right over to Iduna, paying no mind to the fact she half-considered pitching him into the nearest fire "hi! That's Kristoff, and the cute little reindeer ever there is Sven!"

"Olaf, go back to your breakfast, the former Queen needs to eat."

"Oh, right. Sorry!"

And now the staff were talking to the sentient snowman as though _that _were normal too. Had Iduna actually made it home alive, or had she died and ended up in some kind of alternate world where nothing really made sense anymore?

"Anna!"

"Hey guys! And hey mom, glad to see you made it for breakfast."

There was a hint of sleep in her face still, but her freckled cheeks were rosy, hair and clothes perfectly in place as Anna waltzed into the room with a smile for everyone. She also acted as though having a reindeer and a talking snowman at breakfast in a _royal castle _was nothing strange, taking Iduna's wrist gently in her hand and leading her over to get something to eat.

"I asked Kai to make sure there were lighter options for you... hey, Kristoff, can you get another chair for our table?"

"Sure."

Anna scooped yoghurt and berries into a bowl, drizzled them with a sweet and fragrant honey before presenting it to Iduna.

"This is what I have after when I get sick. Or did you want something else?"

"Oh, no, this is fine. Thank you Anna."

Anna beamed, so very pure in her happiness as she carried the bowl to the table, then tapped the reindeer on the nose.

"This is for mother, no touching. That goes for you too Olaf."

"Actually, we're about done. Why don't we let you two uh, catch up. Come on Sven, Olaf."

"But- hey!"

The snowman protested, so the blond man just picked him up and both they and the reindeer headed for the door.

"Come on, if you're good maybe later Elsa will make it snow for you again."

"Awesome!"

Anna watched them go, giggling to herself with a fond smile on her face. Then she turned back to the table, piled a plate with various sweet things - Iduna had not missed the fact there was more than one chocolate option - and then finally joined her mother at the table, thanking another member of staff Iduna did not recognise who offered them both some tea.

"Do you not eat with Elsa?"

"Sometimes, but she's not big on breakfast. If she's not busy, she'll sit with me and eat some fruit, but mostly she says too much first thing makes her feel sick so Mildred makes her a drink with some fruit or chocolatey stuff mushed into milk and then I make sure she eats a good lunch or dinner."

Nodding mostly to herself, Iduna warmed her hands by holding her tea for a minute before turning attention to food. It was delicious, and didn't feel too heavy in her stomach, the fruit crisp and sweet with each mouthful. Watching Anna eat was... interesting. She'd been taught manners all her life, but seemed to veer between using them and forgetting in her haste to wolf down her hearty portion.

"What do you fill your days with now?"

At least she swallowed before speaking. Taking a sip of tea to wet her mouth, Anna trailed her spoon through the gooey syrup she'd scooped on to bread.

"It depends. Some days I help Elsa with royal stuff, sometimes I'm just out with Kristoff and Sven and Olaf. I help out at a few of the stores around town, I go visit the local school for reading hour at least once a week. Tilda is helping me learn to sew and knit, cus I still suck at it, and I'm also learning to cook just because its fun."

"Goodness, you do keep yourself busy."

Anna nodded, still smiling.

"Yeah. I don't like doing nothing, and when the gates were closed I was never allowed out on my own, but now they're open and I like being able to really _live _in Arendelle."

Her daughter had taken on quite a few hobbies and endeavours thar were somewhat beneath her status, but Iduna was already realising a _lot _had changed around Arendelle, and perhaps it was time the Royal family stopped being closed off for everything but special events. Everybody certainly seemed _happy._

"Are your hands cold?"

"A little, why?"

"Wait right there!"

Bemused, Iduna watched Anna get up from the table and dash off, though _how _she moved so quickly with a belly full of rich breakfast treats, Iduna had no idea. She returned a few minutes later, some dust on the skirt of her dress and green fabric in her hands.

"What are those?"

"Elsa's old gloves. She has like a hundred pairs, and never wears them anymore, but she wore them _all _the time before, so they were made to not be restrictive."

Anna went right back to finishing her food, smiling when she saw Iduna slip the satin gloves on. They were a little big, but not enough they were unwearable.

"Thank you."

Despite the great difference in portion size, Anna was still done before Iduna finished scooping small spoonfuls of yoghurt into her mouth. She was full, but not uncomfortably so, which would likely be the norm for a while as she readjusted to food.

"I gotta run if I'm gonna catch Elsa before she has to work later, but I shall see you for lunch mother."

Anna offered her another bright smile before she headed off to find her sister, and even if that wasn't too awkward too soon for her, Iduna had more tea poured for her without actually asking for it, as it seemed her comment about cold hands had been heard. Sharing mealtimes with staff would take some getting used to.

"Are all meals taken like this Finn?"

"If we have visitors, then the larger rooms are used, but Her Majesty does not feel it necessary to use several rooms for the same meals every single day. The reindeer is also not permitted in several of the larger rooms, as his antlers are not quite compatible with the more fragile decorations."

So there was _some _semblance of sensibile thought left in the castle. Not much, but some.

As soon as she'd finished her tea, Finn was waiting and ready to take her to the slightly overbearing Lady's maids. As they looped through hallways and he patiently waited for her to slowly climb the stairs, feeling a little ridiculous for tiring so easily, a sound caught Iduna's ear that she'd not heard in about fifteen years.

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Shh. I just... give me a minute? I promise I am not going far."

Nodding, Finn stood waiting while Iduna slipped through the door, doing her best to be quiet. From her vantage point on the balcony, the ballroom below was almost entirely empty save for two dancers, twirling each other round with smiles on their faces.

And Elsa was _singing. _Elsa hadn't sung since she was about seven, and even then it hadn't been the same as when she was younger, singing along with Anna joyfully.

_"But when we're together, t_ _hen my favorite gift is you."_

Iduna knew she was intruding on a private moment, but she couldn't bring herself to look away as they held each other close, Anna joining in to sing along with her sister.

"_I would travel miles and miles and I would follow any star._

_I'd go almost any place if it's any place you are."_

If she didn't **know,** if they weren't her daughters she'd birthed from her own body, Iduna would never have guessed that the two women before her were sisters.

_"Cause when we're together I'll forever feel at home._

_And when we're together we'll be safe and warm_."

She'd have simply thought them lovers.

_"Doesn't matter where we are _

_if you're there with me..."_

She couldn't listen to any more, feeling a strange lump in her throat as she shoved the door closed behind her a little too hard. They'd probably heard that...

"Everything alright Your Highness?"

Swallowing and hoping her voice didn't give her away, Iduna nodded.

"Fine, Finn. Shall we?"

-IEA-

**Iduna is straight up having a confusing time.**

**If I understand the timing right... Frozen 1 is summer, then Olaf's Frozen Adventure is the winter that year. Frozen Fever would have to be the next year as it's spring. So at this point timewise, OFA has already happened, and I just love the way Elsanna sing to each other in that, so I decided they sing it to each other sometimes just because.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't have a witty authors note to put here. But hey, whaddya gonna do?  
**

-IEA-

A purposeful tap at the door had Elsa looking up from her desk, brushing loose hair out of her eyes with a quiet sigh.

"Come in."

Finn stepped through, bowed a little too deeply and came back up, pushing hair out of his face.

"Your Majesty. Your mother, to see you."

"Thank you Finn, you may leave."

He bowed again, pushing his hair back as he left Elsa alone with her mother. Iduna looked a little more... _herself _than she had that morning, having spent a couple of hours being fussed over, hair and nails and skin all groomed as perfectly as could be. It wasn't long enough anymore for her old, regal braid style, but it looked smoother, had a little shine to it again. The clothes were still a little strange - they were Anna's, after all - but that was only until she had some new ones made for her. And... she was wearing Elsa's gloves. _That _was even stranger to see.

"Elsa."

"Mother. You know, you didn't have to make a formal request for my time. You _could _just have come to see me."

Rubbing her face, Elsa laid down her writing tools. The papers would wait a few minutes. She leant back in her chair, surveying Iduna who was wringing her hands, gnawing her lip and clearly... nervous? Distressed? Elsa wasn't an expert at reading faces other than Anna's.

"Elsa... I'm so sorry."

Her heart kicked oddly in her chest.

"Mother? What... I don't understand."

Iduna circled the desk and all but threw herself at Elsa in a hug, which was entirely unexpected and mildly frightening when combined with the fact her mother was _crying, _thin shoulders shaking with sudden sobs. Elsa hugged her back for lack of any other ideas, trying to comfort with no idea what was upsetting her. Iduna managed to choke out a response, though it was littered with sniffles between words.

"For leaving you alone. For _leaving, _and not thinking of what might happen if we never came back. For making you so _scared, _when what you needed all along was love. We made you afraid of who you are..."

Wow, Elsa was not prepared for that. Seeming done speaking for the moment, Iduna continued to sob in her daughters arms, and Elsa was left wondering what had brought such an outburst on. There had been a fair few tears back when she and Anna were first dealing with their separation, so Elsa did what she'd done for Anna and held her mother gently, making soothing sounds and occasionally petting her hair.

Slowly, the flow of tears began to thin, and Elsa was able to free her hand to reach for a handkerchief, which her mother took with a muttered thanks. She pulled back to dab at her face, skin ruddy and blotchy, eyes rimmed red and a few tears still sparkled on her eyelashes.

"I apologise, I thought I could... explain myself clearly but all I could think of was how alone you must have felt."

"Hey, it's... it's fine."

"How can it be fine?"

Elsa shrugged, not entirely sure how to handle the switch in their roles.

"Because... it's done with now. The past is past. I could sit and stew in resentment for it, or I can be happy that the gates are open and I'm accepted for who I am now, that Anna doesn't hate me for being gone all those years, that I control my powers now and they don't control me. Here, let me just..."

She did it almost without thinking, brushing her cold thumbs across Iduna's flushed face. It had always helped Anna calm down when she'd been crying, taking away the uncomfortable heat that came after the tears. Her mother seemed surprised by Elsa's fingers cupping her jaw like that, but her expression cleared slightly as she felt the cooling sensation.

"Better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Your Highness?"

Elsa dropped her hands from her mothers face when the door knocked, and Iduna turned away from the door so her tear-stained cheeks weren't visible.

"Come in."

It was Kai, followed by two people precariously balancing a large covered object between them.

"It's done already?"

"Yes, my lady. I inspected it myself. Where would you like it?"

"Here, for a minute. Anna didn't see you did she?"

Kai let out a short chuckle, pushing the door closed behind everyone.

"Of course not."

Elsa watched as it was placed down mindfully, itching to take a look. She reached for the fabric, twitched it up without dislodging it completely. Her mother drew in a sharp breath next to her, having peered around to see what the fuss was about.

"What is this?"

"Anna's birthday gift. Well, one of them. The last Yule painting we had done was when we were girls, I wanted to mark the first celebration of many, after so many were missed these last years."

It was a painting of Anna and Elsa and Olaf, all holding the ropes to ring the Yule Bell. Anna looked so beautiful, so _happy, _and Elsa wholly intended to send a generous tip to the portrait artist who had memorised the event so well and captured Anna's joy so _perfectly._

"It's lovely... something is different about Anna though."

Elsa looked at her mother, then back to Anna in the portrait.

"Is it her hair?"

"What's different about her hair?"

"She always had that white stripe after... you know. It went away after she was thawed from her frozen heart."

Iduna's eyes scanned her daughters hair in the painting, and Elsa imagined she'd do the same to the real thing when she next saw Anna.

"I see. It's a lovely portrait. Even with the... snowman."

"It is" Elsa tugged the cover back over it reluctantly "you know where to put it. Make sure Anna doesn't see you. She's mad about portraits, she'll want to see it."

"Of course Your Majesty. Is there anything else?"

"No, thank you Kai."

With a small bow, Kai and the others left with the portrait, leaving Elsa with her mother again.

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about? I do need to finish these papers, but I'll be free in the evening."

"Of course. I... I will see you later Elsa."

Iduna shuffled out, and it transpired Finn was still waiting for her outside. He hadn't been officially assigned to the previous monarch, but seemed to feel he had. Perhaps he had no other jobs that day. Elsa closed the door and flopped gracelessly in her seat, sighing.

Bearing grudges for her parents poor choices while she was growing up had seemed utterly pointless when they died. And after Elsa was freed of her fear, she'd chosen to try and let all the negative emotions go, rather than hold on to the bitterness of her isolation in the past.

Iduna's return from the dead had brought a lot of those feelings back to simmer, but Elsa had never expected an _apology._ Especially one her mother made first, without Elsa bringing up the years alone. She knew they _thought_ they were doing the right thing, but that was small comfort when Elsa had nightmares of locked doors and Anna's frozen heart... With a deep groan, Elsa forced her mind back to work. Even with warning from her father, the amount of _paperwork _involved in ruling Arendelle was frankly ridiculous and she'd never get used to it.

The chime of a clock pulled her back out of the papers, and after a cursory flick through each missive delivered from the late mail ship, Elsa decided all could wait until tomorrow or she'd lose her mind.

And besides, if she didn't turn up for dinner, Anna would come to her. Sometimes to drag her off, others bearing food to ensure Elsa actually ate something, and occasionally got jam or vegetables on important papers...

"Elsa!"

Regardless of any semblance of proprietry, Anna beamed and bounced at the sight of her sister. But that was something everybody had come to expect, with Anna's infectious enthusiasm for _life. _The princess had been seen skipping to read to children, dancing around the town square because somebody offered her a flower, and Anna always had a little time for everyone. So really, the joyous affect she took still at the fact her sister was no longer locked away from her was not so out of place.

It was still a struggle to keep it to a socially acceptable hug, though Elsa never tired of feeling Anna's arms around her.

"I was about to come get you."

It was only as her hands trailed Elsa's arms when they parted that Elsa realised her sisters hands felt different.

"What are those?"

"My dragon feet! I wanted to see how tough it would be to eat dinner as a dragon. Mother looked at me like I was craaaazy."

Anna waved her covered hands, but still managed to grip Elsa's wrist and pull her along to get dinner. Sometimes one of the servers would try to... serve her, but Elsa actually enjoyed the little moments her Queen-ly facade could fall a jot, so many rules and restrictions around her every day life that simple things like taking meals in such a fashion had already become a notable part of her unwinding each evening.

"Would you care for some wine, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, thank you Reid."

He bowed his head slightly, but there was a small smile. Elsa had taken a page from _Anna'_s book, and made a point to learn each persons name. It was a far cry from distant memories of her father, who often had his head buried in something and never even saw those who approached at meals, knew only a few of the highest ups first names liek Kai and Gerda. Anna had spent years with nobody to truly tend to her, and so she'd dashed around the castle and sweetly pestered people for their first names, offering them happy waves when they passed her playing by herself.

That mindful respect of even those who kept the castle running behind the scenes, in the shadow of the Royal Family, had not faded. And Elsa adored her sisters easy warmth, and sought to emulate some of her best traits where possible.

It became apparent, very quickly, that Anna was struggling to hold her cutlery with 'dragon feet'. Eventually, she gave up and ate with her covered hands, much to the consternation of their mostly-quiet mother, who was still on light meals for her delicate stomach, scooping broth into her mouth while Anna made "dragon eating" noises with her hands before scooping meat and vegetables up.

"Honestly, Anna, where are your manners?"

Eventually, Iduna seemed unable to tolerate it, but Anna simply smiled.

"Hey, I can conduct myself as a princess _should _for the real events, but this is family time. Even _you _used to let your hair down just a bit when it was... well, it wasn't complete family time" Anna's eyes met Elsa's, sad for a beat "but when it was you, me and father. And yes, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven are part of our family. We wouldn't have made it through the big freeze without them."

Kristoff cleared his throat, having been eating surprisingly quietly while in the company of Iduna, and without him, Sven obviously didn't have much to say either. Olaf was giggling watching Anna.

Elsa frowned to herself. While Anna had been granted the _time_ of her parents, perhaps they'd failed to truly fill the gap left by Elsa. And as Anna wasn't being groomed for succession the way Elsa had, she was not as heavily tutored or trained, meaning there were great swathes of time the girl was left alone to entertain herself when duty called mother and father away. It was little wonder she'd been such a trouble maker, so energetiic with not enough outlet.

"Hm."

Their mother resumed eating, and excused herself early, claiming need for rest. Elsa couldn't really argue with it, since it was clear she was still regaining her strength.

Still, it was a little jarring to go from the woman who had cried in her arms only a couple of hours ago, apologising for her lonely childhood, to someone who seemed intolerant of Anna's quirky ways. Anna looked distressed herself, even removing her 'dragon feet' but not finishing her dinner.

Elsa knew it was serious when Anna didn't even want the chocolate dessert waiting.

"You coming?"

Anna asked as she rose from the table, and Elsa nodded.

"Go ahead, I'll be along in a minute."

Once Anna left, Kristoff and Sven and Olaf in tow, Elsa waved her hand over the abandoned dessert waiting.

"She'll want it later, that'll keep it. Sorry to make cleaning up difficult."

"Not at all Your Majesty. I am sure the princess will appreciate your thought."

Elsa nodded with a tight smile, then went off to seek her sister. Unsurprisingly, Anna was curled up in Elsa's room, hugging a pillow and looking sad. Elsa closed the door behind her, removing her formal dress before sliding up on to the bed in her under-layers. Anna didn't hesitate to burrow in to Elsa's open arms, abandoning the pillow for her sisters cool body.

"What is it?"

"I just... I thought having mother back would be amazing, but it feels like she... I don't know. I feel like a little kid when she gives me _that_ look."

Sighing softly, Elsa stroked Anna's hair.

"I know. But she's had a lot of surprises, and we don't know what happened to her while she was away yet. I think mother is as confused about how to deal with everything as we are, and we're all going to have to get used to each other again. And remember, the last time mother saw you, you _were _still a kid. You were only fifteen, and cheeky as could be."

Anna sighed in return, snuggling in tighter to Elsa.

"I guess. Did you like my dragon feet?"

"I did. You always make me smile Anna. I am happier than I can _ever_ remember when I am with you, and that includes all your daft jokes and silly games. Never feel like you have to change for anybody. Like you said, you can behave when you need to, and that is truly all that matters."

Wriggling around a bit, Anna managed to pull herself up until she could kiss Elsa. Elsa allowed it eagerly, breathing in Anna's sweet, fresh scent as they embraced. Nimble fingers were already moving toward Elsa's hair, undoubtedly intending to begin unbraiding it so Anna could play with it as she pleased, but the lovers were dragged apart by an urgent knock at the door.

"Your Majesty? Are you in there?"

Anna dropped on to her back with a sigh, laying on Elsa's bed not an uncommon or particularly damning sight in itself as Elsa got up, pulling a dressing gown on before she answered the door.

"Yes Gerda?"

"It's your mother. She's been taken ill."

-IEA-

**Uh-oh, spaghetti-os.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I got my first tumblr asks about this story! Which was nice, as I had no idea anyone reading this followed me on tumblr. **

**Now, we're deliving in to what happened to Iduna at last!**

**And as such, this chapter deals with some heavy topics (namely sexual assault, miscarriage). Nothing _graphic,_ but they're there and discussed. I will always content warn for chapters, if you have particular triggers you're welcome to request they be warned for too.**

-IEA-

Heart skittering in her chest - they'd only had her back a day! - Anna followed Elsa as they followed Gerda to where a handful of castle staff were milling about in the hallway.

"Excuse us, the Queen and the princess need to get through!"

Gerda helped them cut through the little crowd, who suddenly had other places to be when they realised Elsa was there. Anna watched anxiously as Gerda rapped her knuckles on the door, answered by a harried voice.

"Who is it?!"

"The Queen and her sister, to see their mother."

Anna heard their mother curse, and the rustling of fabric and hasty footsteps before the door opened just a crack, Alice assuring herself it was definitely them before she let them in. Elsa squeezed her hand as Anna shuffled in alongside her big sister, both concerned by the state of their mother. She was covered with a thick blanket, but her clammy face was white as a sheet and there was a bucket to her side. Only Alice and one of their nurses was in the room, which conerned Anna somewhat.

"Shouldn't there be a doctor in here?"

"There's no need" Iduna had to stop to cough "I'm fine!"

Unsurprisingly, her strained voice and unhealthy appearance did little to assauge her daughters concerns.

"What's wrong with her?"

Elsa demanded of the nurse, and while normally Anna _really _liked watching Elsa get all bossy... now wasn't the time. Still, Elsa was holding her hand, squeezing Anna gently to keep her calm.

"I..."

The nurse looked between Elsa and Iduna, seeming torn between obeying the Queen and obeying the former-Queen, who had probably already insisted she not burden the daughters with the mothers problem.

"Iduna love, they should know."

Anna watched her mother clench her mouth shut, lips pressed into a thin line as she shook her head.

"No."

Elsa frowned.

"I can order your nurse to tell me mother. Or would you rather skip that part and tell us yourself?"

Their mother could not answer, as she turned to throw up into the bucket clearly there for that purpose. Grimacing at the sudden, painful heaves, Anna turned to Elsa, who looked to the only two tending to Iduna. Alice sighed, then beckoned them over to the far end of the room while the nurse went to check on her patient.

"There's a lot your mother should be allowed to disclose in her own time, but you should know why she's going to be indisposed for a time, and possibly upset."

They nodded slowly, in sync, all glancing back to the bed before looking at each other again.

"Which is?"

"Your mother informed us she... I'll cut to the end. Your mother just lost a baby."

Elsa and Anna shared a stunned gasp, and it seemed enough to alert their mother to the conversation as she called out to them.

"Alice!"

"They needed to know!"

Anna was still stunned silent. _Baby... _but how? Their father had been dead for over three years, and Iduna had barely been alone since she got to the castle, but that would have been too soon anyway. She realised they _still _did not know what had gone on in the missing years, and it seemed it was going to be a very difficult conversation to have, if their mother even deigned to speak of it at all.

Glancing down, Anna panicked when she saw the blood on the floor, and realised what the moving fabric and heavy covers were supposed to hide.

Elsa's voice was soft, her hand leaving Anna's to go and reach for their mother, who initially flinched from the contact but eventually allowed the cooling touch to her clammy skin.

"Can we get you anything?"

There was surprise evident in Iduna's features, and Anna wondered what their mother had expected their reaction to be. Slowly, she shook her head.

"I just... need to be alone until this is over."

"If you're certain, then of course. But if you need me, send someone. I will be right here mother" Elsa grasped their mothers hand in hers, and it was alarming how similar the pallor of their skin was, when Elsa was naturally white as snow "and if there's anything else you need, it's yours."

Extraordinarily proud of Elsa for staying _calm _and bracing herself to not fall apart just yet, Anna approached and laid her hand over Elsa's, standing at her sisters side.

"Same here. If you need me, I'm here. And... when you're ready to talk to us, we'll listen, ok?"

Their mother turned away, trying to withdraw her hand but her daughters held tight.

"I... I can't. The shame..."

"Of what?"

"Of... allowing this."

Anna felt her face crinkle in confusion.

"Allowing what?"

She asked, but the question only made their mother clam up.

"Just go. _Please?_ I... I'll let them tell you how I'm recovering."

Anna recognised all the signs she knew in Elsa, when pushing would be counterproductive. Their mother wasn't ready to talk, and she physically needed to be allowed to rest for a spell before they pressed her further. She nudged Elsa, who looked at her and thankfully understood Anna's silent message.

"Alright. Alice, as you seem to have taken the role anyway, I assign you personally to care for my mother. Nobody is to learn of what is said in this room, for obvious reasons. Mother, if your condition worsens, _please _allow them to send for a doctor. We didn't get you back just to lose you again."

They didn't move until there was a tight, clearly reticent nod.

"Alright."

Both squeezing Iduna's hand gently, they cast last, pained looks at her before they left the room. Thankfully, the hallway had cleared some, only one of the maids still waiting presumably to see if anything more was needed. Elsa pulled her to one side, and Anna didn't need to hear to know there was a small, thinly veiled threat to keep absolute silence over _anything _they learned.

"My mother is unwell, and we do _not_ want news of such a thing spreading before we have even had the chance to announce her return. Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes Your Majesty! Of course!"

With a deep bow, the maid - Amelia, Anna thought, but couldn't be certain with her looking away - left the royal sisters to take their leave. Elsa didn't take Anna's hand again until they were back in the hallway of her bedroom, where they slipped behind the door and Elsa locked it tight, brushing the edges with snow to keep sounds trapped within. Only then did Anna melt into her sisters arms, emotionally wrought already.

"How... what... I'm so confused!"

Elsa slowly guided Anna on to the bed, shedding her dressing gown before she climbed up next to her.

"I think perhaps mother was... taken advantage of, and does not wish us to find out."

It took Anna's mind a moment to catch up, but when she did she felt white-hot anger course through her.

"Taken adv- oh! She had better tell us who by so you can go freeze them and smash them into tiny pieces!"

Her fists slammed down on the bed to go with her sentiment, except one of her fists landed on Elsa's leg instead of the bed, so she sort of accidentally punched Elsa in her anger.

"Oh! Sorry!"

Elsa waved her concerns immediately, using a little ice to cool the spot before she turned back to Anna.

"It's fine. And I agree, but we must be careful not to push mother."

"Yeah... I can't believe there was a baby... do you think she knew?"

"Perhaps. But that is for her to tell us when she's ready."

Anna nodded slowly, thankful Elsa allowed her a cuddle as anger seeped out to be replaced by fear, panic, deep concern for their mother.

"Should we have stayed?"

"No, at least not while the nurse tends to her. We will enquire in the morning. For now we should try to sleep."

Anna sighed.

"I don't think I can. I'm just so worried... and why didn't she _say _something?"

"Shame, Anna. Mother seems to blame herself... how would you feel in her place?"

Inwardly, Anna marvelled somewhat that Elsa had come so far as to be the steady one sometimes, a far cry from accidentally freezing the ballroom and running all the way to the North Mountain to live alone forever... not that Anna was sad about it.. She liked that Elsa was... _healing _from her isolation.

"Probably exactly the same. How were you so calm?"

"Oh, I wasn't. I'm still not. I'm just focusing on not bringing a chill down when mother needs to stay warm."

Anna squeezed her sister, and truly noticed the tension in her frame at last, fighting not to lose control which must have been very difficult given the news.

"She's not in great shape already though, what if she's too weak to handle it?"

Elsa pulled Anna closer, stroked her hair and shushed her softly.

"Mother was strong enough to survive and make it back to us, and she will have the best of care."

Elsa didn't promise that Iduna would definitely be alright though, and Anna knew it was because her sister was just as terrified, but trying to comfort her. Not sure she'd really drift off, Anna knew that if they couldn't be at their mothers side, there was nowhere else she'd rather be than held by Elsa.

* * *

The pain wasn't easing, but at least it had stopped getting worse. The sheet under her was changed again, and it didn't look _as _frightening as the one before. Arms weak and shaky, Iduna pushed herself into a seated position that left her gasping. Alice tutted, coming over and fussing with the pillows, wiping a cold cloth over her face.

"How are you feeling?"

"Awful."

There was little point trying to lie to Alice, who had found her collapsed on her bedroom floor to begin with - she'd only been coming to ask about Iduna's preference of fabric colour, apparently.

"Well, the sickness seems to have gone. I'll get you some water to drink."

A few sips were swilled and spat back out to get rid of the rancid taste in her mouth, but her throat felt a little better when she swallowed some water next.

"Thank you."

"You're going to have to try to eat again soon, you're already frightfully thin as it is. Would you prefer chicken or vegetable broth?"

"Vegetable. The chicken was overcooked earlier."

Alice let out a light chuckle, nodding.

"I'll pass that on."

A container filled with hot water and wrapped in cloth was given to Iduna to help ease her painful stomach, well aware she'd be 'recovering' for at least the next few days. It was an unfortunate thing, usually, but it happened.

Though Iduna confessed herself _relieved, _in many ways. She wasn't strong enough physically to carry a child, and given where the child would have come from, Iduna doubted she was strong enough emotionally either.

Alice had asked when Iduna was still vulnerable and terrified, and that was the only reason she had any idea _how _it had all come about, when Iduna clutched her stomach and babbled that she'd only done what she had to to get back to her daughters. The old woman had been intelligent enough to work out the rest, and thankfully still fond enough of Iduna to acquiesce to her pleas that nobody _know, _only agreeing to a nurse when Alice pointed out that she was no midwife, and so not really sure how to deal with Iduna's current issue.

And now the girls knew. Iduna pulsed with hot shame, feeling sick again and trying to keep the water down. She'd expected them to be horrified, ashamed of her, but they tried to comfort her instead. It was unsettling... Iduna knew she'd probably not have been quite so gentle if she discovered an out of wedlock pregnancy in either daughter. At least before she had all the details.

Though _that _seemed impossible, given their... _bond._

"Alice, would you help me up?"

She hated to ask, but knew she'd crumple if she tried herself.

"What's the matter?"

Cheeks burning still, Iduna nodded toward the bathroom door.

"Just a minute, I'll get you something to stop you making a mess of the floor."

Feeling like a child, Iduna leant heavily on her 'assigned carer', relieved for the moments privacy when she insisted she could do _that _alone. Of course, she wasn't able to get back up when she was done, and so she meekly called for Alice again.

"I know it's tough, but you have nothing I haven't seen before. There's even been a maid or two I covered for... but never mind that. Back to bed with you, and after you rest we'll get you fed."

Exhausted both physically and emotionally, Iduna slept heavily, the first glimmers of dawn at the edge of the covered window. A cot had appeared in the night, and housed a sleeping Alice. Still groggy, Iduna reached blindly for her water, clumsily knocking it over and the sound roused her slumbering companion.

"Iduna! You're awake! Oh, let me get that."

She dabbed up the mess and poured a fresh cup of water out, holding it to Iduna's mouth and glaring until she swallowed, still managing to be stern despite having just woken up.

"How are you feeling?"

After fresh sheets and clothes were in place, Iduna managed to force down the broth, already missing the sweet berries she'd eaten for breakfast yesterday. Mealtimes brought memories of the other residents in the castle, and her needs won out against her shame.

"My daughters..."

"You want them here?"

Iduna nodded.

"I do."

"The Queen is usually awake by now herself. Just wait here a moment."

Though she'd managed to feed herself at least, Iduna doubted she was in any shape to escape the confines of her resting space. Alice came back with Elsa and Anna in tow, Anna _clearly _just roused by the way her hair stuck out from its hasty braid, rubbing her eyes and still in her nightdress while Elsa was fully dressed and her hair in its usual slightly-untamed style.

"Mother, are you alright?"

"No, but I missed you both."

Alice quietly excused herself, and Anna sleepily leant against Elsa's side, blinking blearily at Iduna.

"We were both really worried about you. How are you?"

She chose to ignore the 'both' for the moment - thinking about them sharing a bed was not something she wanted to do.

"Sore, and shamed mostly."

Anna shook her head, already reaching to take Iduna by the hand.

"Mother, you have nothing to be ashamed of. And nobody is going to find out. You just... needed your rest."

Elsa nodded alongside her sister, refilling her mothers cup with water from the jug when she saw it was empty.

"Anna's right."

Rather than search for seats, Elsa waved her hand and chairs formed themselves, with fluffy snow-like fabric cushions for comfort.

"Do you want to talk about what happened to you? Or did you just want to see us?"

Iduna sighed, hoping her broth-breakfast didn't come right back up as she slowly cast her mind back a little.

"I... the sea did not calm for quite some time, and so there were very few ships that sailed by. Naturally, I avoided all attempts to gain attention of the pirate ships. I did my best to survive upon the island, but of course I was somewhat spoiled by royal life after marrying your father. Truthfully, I am as amazed to have survived _trying_ to survive as I am that I survived the ocean to begin with."

"So you were there for... three years?"

"It seems so. I did eventually manage to learn how to hunt small animals and worked out which of the plant life would make me unwell, which were hard-learned lessons."

Anna leant forward, and Iduna wished it were as simple as a bedtime story - she had the same transfixed look in her big teal eyes as she had as a little girl when hearing fairy tales.

"Well, hopefully you never need to kill your own dinner again."

"Indeed. Finally, there were ships more often, and I managed to gain the attentions of a passing vessel. The crew were not enamoured with allowing me aboard, as they consider women on ships bad luck. However, the captain... seemed to take a liking to me."

She shuddered, not aware she'd begun to dig her nails into her arms where he'd touched her until Anna gently pried away her fingers.

"So it was him who..."

"Yes. In return for my passage, I... had to take the journey in his personal cabin. I was lucky, in a way. He was a dreadful drunk, and most nights all I had to do was watch him sleep and hope nobody else came in. It was... nine days to the nearest land, and he was only awake for three of them. I escaped the moment there was dry land, though I had no idea where I was. I think that was about a month before I made it back here... I asked for directions to the Southern Isles, and there was a kindly elderly woman who was heading to visit her son in that funny little village by the Western Woods who took me in her carriage about half of the way."

"And you walked the rest?"

"I did."

"Why did you ask for the Southern Isles? Anyone would have had to direct you to Arendelle, for the port."

Iduna nodded.

"I agree, but I feared if I asked for Arendelle that somebody might recognise me. I didn't truly realise how dreadfully unlike myself I looked until I made it here and couldn't convince the staff."

Anna rocked back and forth a few times, processing.

"Do you know the name of the ship you were on?"

"No. Why?"

"Cus Elsa and me want to go after the guy who hurt you."

"Anna! A little tact."

Elsa chided her, and Anna had the good grace to look a little sheepish.

"Sorry."

"Even if I knew, and I truly do not, I would never dream of sending you two after them now would I?"

Anna crossed her arms and huffed.

"Damnit."

Though she still felt sick and ashamed, Iduna couldn't deny there was something a touch cathartic about voicing what had happened. The ice chairs squeaked against the ground and her shameful feelings surged, certain her daughters were going to leave her to suffer in silence.

Instead, they'd moved to either side of her bed, leaning in to embrace her between them.

"I stand by saying you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just sorry you had to go through all that."

Anna sighed and petted Iduna's hair, while Elsa agreed with her sister.

"Anna's right. It wasn't your fault. Now you should rest, and if you feel up to it, we can come and share lunch with you?"

Iduna nodded slowly.

"I would... I would like that."

They both hugged her again, and told her to get some rest. Feeling the weight of carrying her secret around lift a little at last, Iduna felt a wave of fatigue steal over her. Alice came in and caught her yawning, already heading over to fuss with her covers. Iduna asked for her water bottle to be refilled, and Alice obliged her.

"Sleep."

Warm and tired and full, Iduna fell asleep soon after.

-IEA-

**Ooooft, that was tough to write. Poor Iduna. I did say there'd be angst, right?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Iduna appreciates the love and support of last chapter, even if she pretends not to.**

**Guest - no. Consent gained through coercion or out of fear is not consent, and Iduna knew if she didn't 'allow' it, he would have done it anyway, or worse, she'd have been left to the crew. It was _not _consensual on her part, but Iduna wasn't about to give her daughters graphic descriptions was she?  
**

** Also, the term is sex worker, not prostitute. And yes, it's fine to be a sex worker, if you are doing it _consensually._**

**Kira007Goddess of Chaos - I have seen Frozen 2, yes. I don't intend on putting anything from Frozen 2 in Found, if I go down the route of re-writing Frozen 2 with Iduna/Elsa/Anna, it'll be a sequel. Remember, there's a three year gap between the movies to fill!  
Also, please keep spoilers out of the comments section. Not everyone has seen the movie yet.  
**

-IEA-

"I hadn't realised you learned to dance."

There. She'd brought it up. Iduna watched various thoughts flicker across Elsa's face, fork raised half way to her mouth as she obviously attempted to figure out when Iduna had _seen _her dancing. Anna was still chewing, but her eyes darted between mother and sister repeatedly. At least she wasn't speaking with her mouth full. Eventually, Elsa glanced around, ascertaining they were alone for the moment as the three shared lunch while Iduna was still recovering in her bed.

"When did you see me dancing?"

"In the ballroom, with Anna."

Her daughters shared a look, then both sets of eyes widened at the same time.

"I told you I heard something."

Swallowing hard, Anna nodded.

"Yeah, yeah you did. You saw that?"

Iduna nodded. Elsa _should _have been taught to dance for formal occasions, but even with gloves, she'd refused to touch anybody, and so her lessons had been stalled until she learned to control them, Agnarr always certain it would all be fine by the next year. And then the next, and the next...

"I did."

"I taught her. It was revenge"

"Revenge?"

Taking a few glugs of her drink, Anna nodded, already giggling to herself a little as Elsa smiled at her sister. Iduna had to look away for a second, still struggling to deal with the _way _they looked at one another.

"Right, so, at Elsa's coronation, before all the ice and stuff, the Weasel Duke-"

"The who?"

She hadn't meant to interrupt, but Iduna was already lost.

"The Duke of Weselton, or as we call it, Weaseltown."

Elsa corrected, before falling silent to let Anna continue.

"Right, so, the Weasel guy came up and asked Elsa to dance. Elsa told him she didn't dance, but _I _did. Before I could try to argue, he dragged me off and jumped around me like a fish hit by lightning. Or as _he _said, he was an agile peacock _or_ a chicken with the face of a monkey. I'm not really sure which. He kept stepping on my feet, and he dipped me so hard my back cracked! And all the while, Elsa was stood over there being all Queenly and _laughing _at me."

Anna rounded off by glaring, but it was clear she couldn't really even feign irritation at Elsa for much longer, especially not when Elsa was giggling to herself.

"It did look _very_ funny."

"Well, now you _can _dance, so you won't have that excuse next time there's a party!"

Elsa blanched slightly, as though she'd not considered that side effect.

"See, I'm going to remember that next time we go ice skating and _really _test you."

"Unfair!"

Iduna watched them curiously, still getting used to the way their interactions were so varied. Though she knew they were... _lovers, _too, there was something very innocent in their bickering banter at times, as though they were still making up for the lost time of their childhoods.

Elsa held her hand out, palm up, using the fingers of her other hand to twirl around in mid air. Small, glowing sparkles appeared between her hands, coalescing to create a small, perfectly formed ice flower.

"Forgive me?"

Anna seemed dangerously close to melting on the spot, so visibly overjoyed by the small gesture as she cradled the small offering tenderly.

"Always."

Increasingly uncomfortable with the strange intimacy of the moment, Iduna cleared her throat.

"Girls, your lunch is getting cold."

They jumped a little, the moment between them broken as they finally remembered they weren't alone.

"Whoops!"

Anna seemed surprised, while Elsa seemed... apologetic?

"Sorry."

Iduna wasn't sure how to answer. She couldn't simply say it was 'fine', because it _wasn't. _They still needed to discuss... _that. _But Iduna wasn't about to push it when she was still weak and recovering. It seemed like a topic she'd need more energy to deal with, even if it was delaying the inevitable argument she fully expected from the two of them.

"I apologise for having to go so soon, but I do have to get back to work."

Elsa seemed torn on how to say goodbye to both of them, ending up with a slightly awkward bow to Iduna and a very brief hug for Anna before she excused herself. Anna frowned after her, but said nothing of it. Finally done with her liquid lunch, Iduna managed to place the bowl aside and shuffle to get out of bed. Despite her peculiar mood, Anna immediately hovered, waiting to see if Iduna needed help.

"You ok?"

"Fine. All these liquids have me back and forth from the ladies room frequently, that's all."

Anna left her to rest again after lunch was through, and Alice refilled her hot water container to ease her sore stomach, which allowed her to get more comfortable. Alice had offered to get a doctor who could bring her laudanum, but Iduna refused. Some part of her felt the pain was her punishment, and the rest of her knew laudanum could affect the mind. She was already struggling to settle, such consumption wouldn't help her in the long term.

By the next day, Iduna's naps were shorter and she was, to be frank, _bored. _Dying for distraction from the pain, she convinced her carer to allow her to take a slightly ungainly stroll along a few hallways, and honestly the different view was enough to make her feel better despite the aches of her body. When she lamented to Anna over lunch - Elsa was busy, sadly - the more exuberant of her daughters took it upon herself to race off to the library and return with several books.

"I don't really know what you like to read, so I just got a few random ones. Hopefully this stops you going craaaaazy with boredom. I can understand. I used to talk to all the portraits on the walls cus I was bored and alone."

Iduna recoiled inwardly from the way Anna spoke. There was no resentment, no blame in her words. Just the hollow call back to a lonely, painful time. Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Iduna reached over and placed her hand on Anna's.

"I'm sorry you were alone for so long."

With a warmth she didn't really feel she deserved from her daughter, Anna smiled and shrugged.

"It's ok. I'm not alone anymore."

* * *

Quickly freezing the ink before it splattered everywhere, Elsa glared at the knocked over pot.

_Ok, so I'm a little nervous._

A week and two days since Iduna was taken ill and sequestered away to rest, Alice proclaimed her well enough to be out and about, though it was clear how easily she tired still, Elsa knew they couldn't just parade her around the village on a long tour with endless conversations for everyone.

Which could only mean one thing. _A party._

There hadn't been a proper, big event since her coronation, which was a painful memory for Elsa in many ways. Although it did have its moments, and Elsa would never forget just how sweetly flustered Anna had become when Elsa told her she was beautiful.

They had tried for the Yule Bell ringing, and that had led to a sort of accidental gathering for Olaf. But that was different to a planned, proper event. Elsa knew there'd be awkward questions and pressure on her mother, and she'd spent three full days searching for the by-laws to figure out whether or not the return of the former queen had political implications for the current monarch.

Luckily, Arendelle laws meant Iduna was as free as if she'd retired naturally. Not that Elsa would have been unhappy to return the power to its rightful place if the laws dictated, but gods the woman still struggled to climb stairs, and didn't make it through a single day without a nap yet. The energy that it would have cost if Iduna had to go back to running Arendelle... Elsa was just glad there was no need.

There was a quick, distinctive rapping at the door, and Elsa didn't even call out, simply looking up and feeling a warm wave of contentment wash over her at the sight of her sister. Anna scampered inside, closing the door behind her. Elsa rose from her desk, ready to meet the affectionate woman and indulging in a sweet kiss from soft lips, tasting chocolate on Anna's tongue.

"Hi."

Anna beamed.

"Hi."

They stood that way for a minute, Elsa's hands on Anna's waist while Anna's arms looped around her neck, drinking in the sight of each other.

"Not that I am ever unhappy to see you, but did you come in for something?"

"Probably. Might just have come in for kisses."

Anna giggled lightly as she spoke, nuzzling Elsa's neck and she felt so _warm _it threatened to distract Elsa completely from her work.

"Anna..."

"Ok, ok. I did come in for Super Important Decision. What sort of cake do you want made for the party?"

Of _course _Anna thought that an important decision.

"I don't mind. You pick. Or ask mother to pick. It's her party."

"I thought you'd say that, but I was told I had to ask first."

Anna kissed her again, absorbing all of Elsa's attention very, very efficiently.

"Understandable. You can definitely tell them I said so."

"Good."

Chewing her lip, Anna looked a little anxious.

"Was there something else Anna?"

Her sweet sister sighed, nodding as she leant in to Elsa's body more.

"Kinda. Are you waiting nervously for mother to try and talk us out of... _us _again as much as I am?"

Elsa tightened her arms around Anna, seeking to be reassuring as much as she sought her own reassurance, the embrace working to comfort them both. Anna sighed again, but it was a slightly more peaceful sound, her muscle tension easing as she melted against Elsa - still something to be gotten used to, when Elsa ran so very cold.

"I am. But I promise, she'll never be able to."

Anna looked up, teal eyes full of desperation.

"You swear?"

"I swear. I love you Anna."

Anna teared up a little, but she was smiling as she all but leapt up to kiss Elsa, the energy and momentum carrying them backwards until Elsa's shoulders hit the wall, her sisters mouth moving against hers all the while. Painful a seperation as it was, Elsa gently pushed at Anna's shoulders to slow her, receiving a sulky pout in return that faded when she laced their fingers together.

"Later. We have mothers party to plan, and _I _have to deal with re-instating trade with Weaseltown."

"It's _Weselton"_ Anna's correction was belied by her mocking, sarcastic tone, followed by a slightly petulant "do we have to?"

"It's better for Arendelle if we do. Don't worry, the Duke and his two 'goons' were all stripped of their power and positions, and every edition of trade agreement we hammer out stipulates they be nowhere near me, you or Arendelle in general. Weselton is quite keen on our _ice,_ funnily enough."

Anna rolled her eyes, squeezing Elsa's hands.

"I guess that's ok then. I kinda wish I could have seen you deal with them."

"Anna!"

Elsa didn't like that memory much - for a moment, she'd been truly in danger of losing control, falling to kill-or-be-killed much quicker than she'd be proud to admit.

"What? I know you're no monster. I just wonder how your powers must have looked..."

Anna's eyes glazed over slightly. Her sister _might _have been just a little too enamoured with Elsa's magic for someone who had almost died twice because of it.

"Terrifying. And it's something I hope never to repeat."

"Would you repeat it for me?"

Elsa raised an eyebrow, Anna affecting a faux-innocent expression.

"To _protect _you? Of course. But to entertain you? No."

Despite her protests, Elsa managed to convince Anna to get back to work, though she wholly expected demands for a little showing off of her powers when they were alone in bed that night... Distracted by her sisters presence, Elsa was surprised when she turned back to her desk and found the still-frozen spilled ink. She nudged the ink-cicle along, then let it drop into a wastebasket.

"Oh, one more thing!" Anna's voice made her jump enough that Elsa froze the arms of her chair sitting down "can we have chocolate fondue?"

Looking at the hopeful face peering around her office door, Elsa nodded as she thawed her furniture.

"Yes, of course. Just promise not to throw fondue at anybody this time."

"Olaf started it!"

Anna pleaded her innocence before running off so Elsa couldn't point out that 'Olaf started it' was not an excuse for how fondue ended up in the hair of three of her councillors. Shaking her head, Elsa couldn't keep a fond smile from her face. Anna was _ridiculous,_ but it only made Elsa love her more.

Retrieving a fresh ink pot, Elsa wished all her work was as delightful as making plans with Anna.

-IEA-

**Time for Iduna to return to Arendelle! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Happy New Queer! (it's like happy new year, but gayer).**

**Chapter warning for _very brief _discussion of infertility.**

-IEA-

While Iduna thought Anna's table manners could do with some work, they were _flawless _when compared with... Kristoff, who shared carrots with his reindeer, ate with his hands sometimes and only tended to wipe his mouth at the end of a meal.

But he wasn't a prince, or a nobleman of any sort. He was just a somewhat peculiar man who had inadvertently saved both Anna and Elsa's lives, and, as it turned out, had seen Iduna once before her return.

"What do you mean, you've seen me before?"

"I uh... I was there that night you brought Anna to the trolls. I was just a little kid, and hid out with Sven and some of the other trolls so I guess you wouldn't have noticed me. we were just curious cus there was this magic looking ice trail behind you, I wanted to know if you had a magic horse. But it was Elsa."

It was a rare morning where her eldest daughter had joined them to sit for breakfast, though as Anna had commented, Elsa had a liquid breakfast that smelled of sweet, tart berries.

"Which is how you knew to take Anna there the next time."

"Yeah. But Grand Pabbie couldn't do anything other than tell us _how _to heal her ourselves. And, well, the rest I imagine you know."

The way Kristoff paid absolutely zero mind to Anna and Elsa exchanging looks Iduna didn't approve of suggested the blond man _knew, _leaving her wondering how he could accept such a thing. Iduna wasn't about to ask though, especially not since they breakfasted in the same room as multiple servants and staff now.

"So, how's prep going for the big shindig?"

"Very well, thank you Kristoff. Do remember you promised to take a bath. You too Sven."

Elsa answered, and Anna picked up the conversation in between great bites of her sandwich while Kristoff exchanged a grimace with his reindeer.

"What about the trade things?"

"Oh, I only answered them today, so I haven't heard back from Weselton yet, but I'm fairly certain we shall resume trade quite soon. It's just finalising the finer details at this point, they have little to lose and much to gain."

Despite everything else being so terribly _strange, _Iduna couldn't help but feel incredibly _proud _of how Elsa took to her Queen's duties. She was thoughtful and sensible about the politics of it all. Except where Anna was concerned, as was clear by the way she gnashed her teeth or dropped snowflakes onto furniture whenever the Southern Isles came up. Hans Westergaard was flat out banned from ever setting foot in Arendelle again, which was definitely a choice Iduna could agree with given how he'd put both her daughters at such risk.

After breakfast, Alice pulled Iduna away from any chance to talk to Anna, insisting she go through the three dresses that had been finished while Iduna was recovering from her miscarriage. No longer bedridden by weakness, pain or bleeding, it was still quite novel to simply walk the halls of the castle.

"They'll be a little big, but that's so you can grow into them a bit. You're definitely looking healthier though dearie."

Iduna wasn't sure about that, still noticing all the protrusions of her bones when she bathed, though she seemed to have stopped bruising at the slightest knock to her skin in the last few days, so that was something. With any luck, she'd stop shivering at the slightest chill and feel less exhausted climbing stairs soon.

It was definitely nice to be back in clothes made for a woman her age, rather than in Anna's, which were brighter and a little shorter than Iduna had been used to. The dress didn't quite hug her chest, but then she wasn't back in corsets yet. There was little point in having her measured and fitted for one when the intention was for her to regain some lost weight.

"Sit, I'll fix your hair and we can see how you'll look for the party."

Iduna sat mechanically, starting to feel more and more nervous about the whole event. How was Arendelle going to react? Her heart seized up in her chest every time she thought about people asking if Agnarr had returned too, certain _somebody _would blame her for not being able to save him that night, that there'd be outrage it was the queen-by-marriage who returned, not the King with a birthright.

"Iduna? Are you alright?"

Alice's voice cut into her spiralling thoughts, and she nodded tightly.

"Fine."

"You're shaking. Are you cold?"

Though it was a lie, Iduna nodded. Alice would only have told her she was being ridiculous, that her concerns were unfounded and that all the responses to her return would be positive. But Iduna didn't believe her, and so it seemed pointless to hear it all again.

Her hair was shorter now, the dead and unsaveable parts cut away to leave the healthy part behind. She knew it would be a while before her old style could be done again. Alice made sure Iduna could always see her in the vanity mirror, ensuring she knew who the hands on her were. It... helped.

"There we go. You'll look lovely."

Personally, Iduna still thought she looked a little like someone approaching their own deathbed, pale now the sun exposure had faded from her skin and half-expecting to see the jutting of her bones through the heavy material of her dress. But Alice would have scolded her, so she kept quiet.

Now she was starting to keep solid food down, Alice _kept_ feeding her. Three meals were not enough, and Iduna had some form of snack at all times nearby.

"Could I have some time to myself for now Alice? I'd like to read and perhaps nap before lunch."

"Of course. Just let me get you out of this."

Only one of the dresses was intended for the party, the other two somewhat more casual, designed to keep her covered (and more importantly, _warm_) from collar to wrist to ankle. Iduna ran her hands down the skirt of the black and purple dress she got in to, and dutifully put on the bottoms underneath to help keep her legs from chilling too. And then, once she'd put a plate with cheese and grapes down alongside watered-down wine, Alice left Iduna by herself.

Getting used to the grandeur and opulence of it all was still something Iduna was working on. She forced herself to eat some of the cheese and a handful of grapes, keen to be back on her feet so she didn't _need _a full time watcher, much as she was grateful to Alice for being so dedicated - and for recognising her in the first place. Iduna wasn't sure what she'd have done if nobody had believed it to be her. Flipping open her book to the page with a marker in it, Iduna began to read, keen for a distraction from her racing thoughts.

A rather distinctive knock at the door surprised her, placing her book down and pushing herself into a more upright position.

"Come in."

Anna's head poked through the door, and she offered Iduna a bright smile when she saw her before sneaking in rather furtively, closing the door behind her.

"Hey. I saw Alice leaving and thought I'd come see how you were doing, but it looks like I interrupted you."

She nodded toward the book, and Iduna shook her head.

"It's fine, the book can wait."

"Ok then. Well, how are you feeling? Breakfast staying down? Is it good to have your own clothes again? Not that you aren't welcome to use mine, and I'm sure if you asked Elsa would give you a magic dress, but..."

Anna trailed off and finally stopped for breath, still smiling. Her enthusiasm was pure and rather contagious, and Iduna found herself smiling at her.

"I feel fine. I'm not back to full strength yet, but I'll get there. And yes, I do enjoy having clothes not made for a young woman."

"Hey, you don't look old enough to be our mom, nobody could tell."

Iduna tsked, shaking her head.

"That's sweet, but I look very much like an old, withered crone every time I check."

Anna rolled her eyes, letting out a short giggle.

"Nah, you're imagining things! Sure, you're a little thin right now, but your cheeks are starting to fill out again and you still have big, beautiful eyes and your smile is just like I remembered. GIve it a little time and you'll be beating off re-marriage proposals with a stick. Or hiding behind Kristoff and Sven. They're pretty big. Good shields."

The word _marriage _brought two thoughts to the forefront of Iduna's mind - her lost husband, and the relationship of her daughters.

"Speaking of, has Elsa given thought to such things?"

Anna's face scrunched up in confusion.

"Shields? I guess..."

"No, Anna. Marriage."

Wide teal eyes widened further, and Anna shook her head.

"Uh. Not really. I mean, aside from... me, there's a lot of stuff Elsa would have to really think about before she ever went down that route. Like, she has powers. Real, super powerful magic powers. Anyone she considered marrying might be trying to get hold of a huge weapon, and we don't want her being used like that. Plus, isn't a huge reason for weddings having kids?"

Honestly surprised by the fact it was obvious that Elsa and Anna had actually _talked _about it somewhat before, Iduna nodded.

"Yes, Royal heirs are part of her responsibility."

"Well, that's gonna be tough. And not just cus Elsa doesn't like boys."

"Why?"

"Why doesn't she like boys?"

Restraining the urge to place her hand over her face, Iduna shook her head.

"No. Why would it be 'tough'?"

"Oh. Uh. We're pretty sure Elsa can't... yanno. Have kids. She doesn't do the whole monthly blood thing, and that's how you know when someones ready to make a baby, right? I'm jealous, that thing _suuuucks._"

_Oh. _Though they'd briefly discussed it when Elsa was fifteen, Elsa had been pretty sure it wouldn't ever matter, since she couldn't even _touch_ another person for fear of freezing them. But now Elsa was more in control, and she'd seen her be physically affectionate - and glove free! - already, it was definitely of a greater possibility.

Or so she'd thought.

"You're... sure?"

Anna raised an eyebrow.

"I'm gonna let you think about whether or not thats a question you really want to ask."

It took a minute for her to understand what Anna was insinuating, and her face burned when it clicked in to place.

"Never mind."

"Yeah... so, yeah. Elsa has thought about it, but right now, Arendelle is still working on maintaining and growing its standing as a powerful kingdom, especially after Elsa's accidentally freezing the whole place. No way is it the right time for even _thinking _about getting married. Unless it was to me. But that's not allowed, even though we have same sex marriage here."

"Never in the Royal line though."

Anna shrugged.

"Like I said, there's a lot of reasons. Or are you saying you want Elsa to put herself and all of Arendelle potentially in danger... just to look _normal?_"

* * *

_Knock knock knock._

"Your Majesty!"

"I'll be out in a minute!"

Elsa called out, before Anna claimed her lips again and prevented further conversation. It was so very hard to say _no _to her sister, especially when Anna looked _incredible _just then, with a dress that hugged her slender waist and flared over her slim hips, boosting her chest and exposing the adorable freckles across her shoulders. Her hair was mostly pinned up, but just enough hung down to tempt Elsa into playing with it, twirling a few bits around her finger as Anna smiled up at her, cheeks flushed, eyes bright.

"We need to go out there you know."

Anna nodded, sliding her arms around Elsa's waist as she leant closer.

"I know. Just making the most of the last time we'll be alone today."

Her voice was soft, ensuring they wouldn't be overheard. Not that anybody would dare say something if they _did, _but it was good to practice secrecy for when it _was _necessary. Elsa checked herself in her vanity mirror, ensuring there was no smudged makeup, that her lips weren't swollen. Satisfied she looked presentable, Elsa reluctantly pried Anna's arms off of her.

"Ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go get mother and get ready to part-ay! I can't wait for chocolate fondue... mmm."

Mind clearly already on chocolate, Anna began bouncing on the spot and twirled, heading for the door. Elsa straightened her posture, ready to go out and look regal for the masses. They headed toward their mothers bedroom, Kai knocking gently on the door to get her attention.

"I'm coming!"

Iduna stepped out a moment later, Alice smiling proudly from behind her as she presented her 'work' to them. It had only been a couple of weeks, really, but regular meals and rest meant that her cheeks weren't so sunken, and the sweep of artificial blush across her face brightened her up. The dress was still a bit loose, but it simply looked comfortable rather than a clumsy choice. And though her hair was shorter than it used to be, the front was combed perfectly and looked shiny and healthy. Her hands were clasped together, but she was also wearing some of Elsa's old gloves.

"You look beautiful mother."

Shuffling a little nervously, Iduna nodded.

"Thank you Elsa."

"She's right! Come on mother, the sooner we start the sooner there's chocolate!"

Anna skipped over, linked her arm with their mothers and looked to Elsa to lead them out.

"Right. We'll go and check everything is ready, I'll make the announcement, you bring mother out."

"You got it Elsa. Ready mom?"

Elsa doubted she'd ever truly _enjoy _public speaking, but at least she was trained well for it. They headed down to the entrance room of the castle, where refreshments awaited before guests would be led in to the ground floor ballroom.

"Everything looks good. And I see... chocolate fondue!"

Anna beamed at Elsa, and the sight never failed to make her feel warm inside. Kristoff and Sven were keeping Olaf from making an early start on the cake, though Elsa noticed Sven eyeing the plate of reindeer-friendly foods that had been made up especially for him.

"Wow, you three look great!"

Sven made a noise of agreement with Kristoff, and the three Arendelle royals thanked him. Kristoff was a very good friend - his acceptance of Elsa and Anna's relationship included. In his own words, he "didn't argue with magic" after being raised by the trolls, and Elsa's ice magic had thawed through an act of 'true love' between she and Anna. So to him, _magic_ said it was true love, and he chose not to doubt that. Elsa felt blessed to have somebody like Kristoff in their life.

Looking through the window, Elsa saw the courtyard beginning to fill, people happy to walk through the always-open gates.

"Looks like almost everyone is here. Everything ready?"

"Yes Your Highness."

Finn bowed as he confirmed, pushing hair out of his face as he came back up and offering a small smile over to Iduna, who he seemed quite fond of.

"Good. Ok then. Here we go."

Drawing in a few deep breaths, Elsa let her training take over, standing tall as the doors were opened for her to step through. The people of Arendelle clapped and smiled and a few even cheered at the sight of her, excitable for the invitation of a party - the castle was still something of a novelty, even though the open gates were fairly normal to them now.

"Queen Elsa!"

Loosely lacing her hands together in front of her, Elsa waited for the hubbub to calm a little, so they could hear her address them.

"As you all know, you were invited here to celebrate. What you don't know is _why. _Well, I am _very _happy to give you a reason now."

The citizens leant in as one, waiting for the news. Even though she'd practiced and prepared her words, they still felt a little strange to her.

"As you all know, a little over three years ago, a certain ship went down and took two people very special from me, and from Anna. We mourned, and I was coronated as Queen in their place. However, only a handful of days ago, somebody found their way back to us. People of Arendelle, I present to you our mother!"

Anna was practically dragging Iduna out, and an audible gasp rippled its way through the crowd. Elsa placed a hand on her mothers other arm, (hopefully) reassuring her as the gasp became silence, became waiting...

And then came the cheers. There were young children, too young to remember Iduna before the disappearance, asking their parents who she was, but there was a genuine joy in the air for the surprise survival. Said survivor looked half-torn between smiling and bolting, the noise undoubtedly a little overwhelming when she'd not really been around many people, and even fewer that weren't servants and staff.

"And now, I invite you all in to the castle to celebrate. Please remember to be respectful. Iduna is still very much a member of the Royal family."

"Queen Elsa, Queen Elsa!"

Looking down, Elsa found little Jakob, who was smiling up at her.

"Yes?"

"Are you gonna do the magic later?"

"I might-"

"Jakob! What have I told you, don't bother the Queen!"

His mother grabbed hold of her son, but Elsa waved off the concerns.

"It's fine. I don't mind the children enjoying the ice and snow. Come on in!"

Everybody milled in to the entrance room, and thankfully, gave Iduna a little space with the distraction of food. There was a table set a little ways away from the rest - Jakob's family were Jewish, and there were a few other Arendelle citizens who suffered sickness from certain foodstuffs, so it made sense to reduce the chance of anything getting mixed up, and the accomodations for it had been something put in place by her father when he was a young king, though it ceased to mean much when there were no more parties.

"How is your mothers health faring, Your Highness? Anything I can do?"

"No, but thank you for the offer Doctor Bergen. My mothers health improves every day."

Even more so since the aftermath of awful things she'd put herself through to get home to them. Elsa ached for her mothers pain, but pushed it aside lest she bring a chill down on the people of Arendelle. She could save that for later.

"Of course. If there is anything, do let me know."

"I will."

Standing a couple of feet taller than the others made Anna very distinctive amongst the crowd of children that circled the warm, gooey chocolate puddle and various treats to be dipped in to it. Anna managed to restrain herself to only a few different things - for now - while Elsa struggled to restrain herself from watching too intently, from going over there to taste how undoubtedly sweet and rich Anna's mouth would have been...

A giggling Olaf ran from excited children, which prompted several more people to begin heading in to the ballroom, which forced Elsa to reluctantly tear her eyes away from Anna, guiding her mother along to the ballroom where the band were waiting, music filling the air at Elsa's nod to them. Arendellians needed _no_ excuse to get down to the dancing, even the children grabbing each other and spinning around in their joyful, unskilled but enthusiastic manner.

"Elsa! Dance with me!"

Given how much time and energy Anna had put in to teaching her, and how very used to seeing the two be affectionate Arendelle was as a whole, Elsa saw no reason to say no. Though, as Anna stepped close and they moved their hands, Elsa did lean forward to whisper.

"_Behave._"

Anna only pouted a little, which looked absolutely adorable on her, before they were dancing to the tune, mingling with the others and Elsa delighted in the perfect excuse to just _look _at Anna. So incredibly _beautiful..._

"Mother is watching."

"I don't doubt it."

_That_ particular topic still hung awkwardly between them, coming up in small bits here and there but Elsa felt there was something more to come, even if she didn't know what it was.

"Should I ask her to dance?"

"You could, but it might make her feel uncomfortable. Not just because she has seen you dancing with me, but also... does she even remember how?"

Elsa hadn't asked, simply because she doubted Iduna had the energy for an intensive dance class, and her mother hadn't brought it up herself.

"Guess not. Maybe I can teach her and you can teach her to ice skate."

"Maybe, but perhaps wait until she's a little more recovered. Dance class is exhausting."

Anna nodded in understanding, using the song winding down as an excuse to hug Elsa tight, and murmur something _terribly _inappropriate about chocolate fondue in her ear before pulling away, mischief on her face and a spring in her step.

Oh, she was _definitely _paying for that later.

-IEA-

**Iduna had some cake and, overall, enjoyed her party!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I did promise rewards of smut, didn't I? Not that I can offer any sort of guarantee you'll feel rewarded, but there's frick-fracking in this chapter!**

-IEA-

Absolutely exhausted by the party, their mother barely waited for the guests to leave before she was flagging from the lack of energy and heading off to bed. All had gone well, thankfully, and there was a real sense of joy amongst the people in their kingdom about Iduna's miraculous return.

Anna was nowhere to be seen either, and Elsa absolutely did not trust her to not be up to something.

The staff insistently shooed Elsa away when she tried to help, but her presence was helpful when a sleepy Olaf bumped in to a table, knocking down the tower of half-full wine glasses that Elsa froze in place. Locating Kristoff snoring in the corner, Elsa poked him until he stirred.

"Whazzit?"

"Can you take Olaf to bed on your way to your own?"

"Huh?" he blinked blearily, peering around "oh right. Party. Olaf. Sure. Sven, go to bed."

"Sven went to bed two hours ago, right after you serenaded each other before falling asleep."

The smell of alcohol rolled off him in waves when Kristoff staggered to his feet, offering Elsa a drunken smile.

"Great party!"

He hugged her, then ambled off, plucking Olaf from the ground and both left before either could cause any more trouble. The frozen glasses were successfully retrieved without any serious shattering incidents, and as everybody who didn't work in the castle had left, Elsa agreed to leave too.

Sure enough, Anna was up to something. She was sitting on Elsa's bed, dressed in not much more than her underwear and a sweet smile. It might have looked innocent, except for the bowl she was stirring her finger through. Holding Elsa's gaze, Anna lifted a chocolate-coated finger to her lips and sucked it, leaving Elsa frozen in place before she'd even managed to close her bedroom door. She regained just enough brain power to close and lock the door, Anna's eyes lighting up when Elsa's dress and cloak melted away into nothingness.

A very large pro of being able to craft her own clothing from magic? They could be dismissed with equal ease, though Elsa generally wore real, human-made underwear. Just in case someday Anna made her so hot in public her clothes vanished of their own accord, she wouldn't be _naked _in public. Because if she could, Anna definitely _would _do that to her.

"You might wanna take those off, cus this is gonna be messy."

Anna did get flustered sometimes, especially if Elsa surprised her with compliments or deep sentiments, but the younger of the two sisters could also leave Elsa with not much coherence _very _easily when she wanted to, especially in bed. Elsa undressed for her audience of one, slowly and methodically under Anna's riveted gaze.

"Put something on the bed, we'll never explain the chocolate stained bed linens _again._"

Anna giggled, nodding and grabbing an extra sheet to cover the top layer of the bed. Then she came over to Elsa, leaning up for a kiss that neither stopped until they were dizzy. Tingling fingers fumbled to remove Anna's remaining clothing, enjoying the shivers of her cool touch on Anna's flushed, warm skin.

"Cold?"

"Mmm. I love it. Now get on the bed."

Taking in the sight of Anna's nude body and enjoying the fresh well of desire that sprung within her, the Queen obeyed her princess and climbed up on top of the plush, luxurious bed, making sure her hair wasn't in easy splash range and getting comfortable as she laid. It wasn't the first time Anna had brought fondue to bed...

Anna first used her finger to swipe a thick, sweet stripe of fondue across Elsa's lips before reaching for a small spoon. Little drizzles and wet splashes formed the map Anna planned to take over her sisters body, the still-liquid chocolate feeling _so _warm on Elsa's cool body. Her skin made it harden slightly, hips twitching when Anna coated her swelling nipples with a spoonful each. Lazy shapes decorated her bare belly, before finally pooling along the crease of her thighs. Elsa squirmed with the sticky feeling, struggling not to just lick her lips clean as the chocolate there began to harden more.

The _searing _heat of Anna's mouth and tongue melted it away quickly, their kiss rich and sweet as Elsa mewled, tipping her head to bare her neck in invitation when Anna had licked the last drops from her lips. Anna took the invitation eagerly, chocolate softening against her wet tongue as she lapped at Elsa's skin, humming happily at the mixed taste of Elsa and chocolate. Elsa knew her job for the moment was to simply lay there and let Anna enjoy her, trying not to wriggle too much as her arousal surged with every swipe of Anna's wet, warm tongue.

A brief dusting of snowflakes fell over them when Anna's tongue found Elsa's nipple, the hardened chocolate there softening as she licked and sucked every bit of skin clean, smirking as Elsa moaned and writhed with her mounting _need._ Rather than tend to her desperate sister, Anna simply switched sides and continued to use Elsa as a life sized serving platter for her chocolate fixation. Blistering suction on her chilled skin did nothing to help Elsa calm down, relief making itself known when Anna's journey moved to her stomach, though Anna took her sweet time chasing every last drop before her mouth was _finally _reaching where Elsa craved it.

Anna had kept her hair up so it wouldn't end up sticky with melted chocolate, leaving Elsa's fingers to scrabble against her scalp as they tried to tangle in her hair, back arching as she gasped her sisters name. The chocolate was all cleaned up before long, but Anna's nimble tongue and soft lips stayed to torment Elsa in the most incredible way, Never one to back down from a challenge, Anna's inexperience hadn't slowed her down (not that Elsa was any _more _experienced than her younger sister), and after _many _long, arduous hours of 'practice', she could take Elsa to pieces with great skill, leaving her a babbling, twisting mess.

Their temperature clash seemed to only enhance sensations for both; Anna shivered in pleasure at Elsa's chilled touch, while Elsa melted under Anna's feverish heat.

She'd climaxed countless times for Anna before, but the rush never ceased to feel all-consuming, stealing her breath as her body shuddered and spasmed, tightening in what seemed like random places before she was left limp and beaming, heart racing and body as warm as it would ever be. Anna stole a last few tastes before she pressed a feather-soft kiss to Elsa's sensitive skin, winking when Elsa whimpered before straightening up and licking her lips clean. Her sweet, rather innocent face looked so very debauched with her freckled cheeks stained red and Elsa's arousal wet across her cheeks and chin.

"Elsa and chocolate, my favourite."

Elsa couldn't help giggling, reaching for her wonderful and ridiculous sister. Anna's body heat soaked into her skin, warming Elsa to the bone as her heart swelled with love and contentment, feeling nothing but _blissful_ in that moment.

"My turn."

She dropped Anna on her back, crawling on top of her. The fondue had cooled too much from Elsa's fluctuating chills in the air, so she forewent the decorating of Anna. Instead, she followed the map of Anna's freckles, that covered a surprising amount of her skin - face and arms and shoulders made _some _sense, as that skin saw the sun. But the freckles also found their way to her lower back, a few scattered across her hips and stomach and came up surprisingly high on Anna's otherwise pale legs.

A small part of her mind kept going back to their mothers return - Elsa couldn't help but remember being caught _literally _going down on her sister, and it was precisely why they now _always _locked the damn door. Before, they'd been pretty sure nobody would ever dare come in, but Iduna bursting through unannounced had reminded them they couldn't become so careless about it all.

Elsa shoved away those thoughts. In bed with her lover was a _weird _time to be thinking of her mother, even if said lover was Elsa's own sister.

"You locked the door, right?"

Anna's voice cut into her musings, breathy and strained with arousal as Elsa nodded, kissing the skin just below her navel.

"Yes."

"Good. Wouldn't want mom wondering in again."

Anna let out a short chuckle, and though it was still _weird,_ Elsa felt a little relieved to know Anna's mind wandered the same strange route.

And then she pushed that aside, tongue sliding over wet skin to chase Anna's sweet, sinful taste. Still shaking off years of habit to hide and restrain, Elsa was a little more reserved in her responses in bed, but Anna? Anna was _incredible_ to witness in the throes of passion. Unashamedly loud, body pitching and bucking, hands grasping, mouth demanding. Her slender thighs rested over Elsa's shoulders, tightening when Elsa slipped a finger into her sisters soft, twitching heat, seeking the spot that made her jerk and shout if Elsa timed it just right...

"_Elsa!_"

_There _it was. Elsa repeeated her motions, flicking her tongue against the sensitive little nub as her finger curved, drunk on Anna and her wanton repsonses. How was she so lucky to be allowed to even _see _her that way, let alone be so blessed as to be the one to bring her such ecstasy? Elsa still could scarcely believe it, but it was somehow so beautifully true and she was utterly addicted.

Anna growled softly when Elsa slowed, seeking to prolong their playing - clearly, the fiery princess did not feel like holding out just then. Elsa showed mercy, pulling out every little trick she knew until Anna went to pieces, words on her tongue unbecoming of a princess and Elsa thrilled in every single explicit curse that left Anna's lips as she waited for her thighs to stop twitching enough that Elsa could get out. Not that she felt the need to rush. Between Anna's thighs was a _wonderful_ place to be.

In her arms was probably all that could beat it, and Elsa glowed with happiness as they embraced one another. Anna enjoyed Elsa caressing her back in post-coital cuddles, as the cool touch of her ice-magic sister soothed the clammy, sweaty feel on her skin. Elsa was more than happy to oblige.

"I love you."

Anna mumbled it into the skin just above Elsa's breast, making her smile.

"I love you too. We do have to fix the room a bit before you can sleep though love."

Grumbling, Anna reluctantly agreed. They pulled off the sheet covered in sweat and sex and smeared chocolate (they'd clean _that _one themselves), washed faces and cleaned teeth and Elsa wiped off the remnants of sticky residue even Anna's determined efforts hadn't quite cleaned off earlier. Only then could they retire for the night, snuggling naked beneath a heavy quilt. Anna squirmed and shifted to get comfortable, though Elsa knew it would only be _minutes _after she fell asleep before she'd be wriggling into some adorably undignified position.

Making a mental note to ensure that now-solidified chocolate fondue was gotten rid of as soon as possible in the morning, Elsa burrowed in to Anna, breathing in her scent and drifting off with a contented smile on her face, a wonderful night following a successful, celebratory day.

-IEA-

**Here, have a short smutfest where both Elsa and Anna accidentally think about their mom during sex. Totally normal right?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Absolutely living for the lovely responses to last chapter!**

**Well, most of them. _Guys, _I've told you. A review thats just "more"/"plz update" etc... they _literally_ turn me off a fic, sometimes for days at a time. I got one while halfway through writing this chapter, and I couldn't bring myself to touch this for like a week afterwards.. I'm not a machine, don't treat me like one.**

-IEA-

Kristoff was definitely feeling last nights indulgence the next morning, groaning and downing water like it was going out of style. Anna could feel last night herself, but it was in a very different sense. She just felt _extra_ satisfied and happy... and maybe still a bit tingly from early-morning fumbles with her sister. Elsa had even found the time to join them for breakfast, so Anna's morning was even better!

"Did you enjoy your party mother?"

"I did, even if it was rather taxing by the end of the evening."

Elsa nodded at Iduna with a soft smile, stirring the crushed berries in the bottom of her glass to flavour her milk better. Olaf was surprisingly well behaved himself that morning. He'd probably got a lot of energy out at the party last night, so Anna expected him to perk up by lunch again.

"Well, you have plenty of time to recover. I am sadly out of time this morning, but I will see everybody for lunch."

Elsa trailed her fingers along Anna's arms as they hugged goodbye, leaving Anna with a pleasant shiver on her skin as Elsa left to tend to her duties. Anna watched her go before turning back to her food, chuckling as Kristoff groaned again.

"What are we doing today?"

"I'm due for reading hour at the school this morning. You want to come along mother?"

The former queen blinked in surprise, spoon stopping mid-stir of her yoghurt.

"Oh. Yes, that would be... nice."

Anna smiled. She knew Iduna must be going stir-crazy never leaving the castle, but still wasn't quite physically recovered. The school wasn't very far, and sitting down for a whole hour wouldn't take that much out of her, and was a nice way to start re-integrating herself into Arendelle again.

Stopping off in Elsa's study to steal a few kisses from the Queen, Anna paced back and forth outside their mothers room while she waited for Iduna to finish getting dressed. Alice insistently pressed an apple upon Iduna before allowing her to leave, which Anna saw her mother slip into her pocket as she fell in to step alongside her daughter.

"I married in to the Royal family, so it's quite strange to be going from Queen to Princess."

"It was that or come up with some weird complicated title to reflect you returning from the dead... plus, being a princess rocks! Just ask me."

That made her mother smile, which made Anna smile in turn. Linking their arms together, the two royals left the castle, and Anna didn't really mind waiting in the courtyard while Iduna gathered herself a little bit, and turned her face up toward the sky to feel the sun for a minute or two.

"It's been a while since I just... enjoyed the sun."

"Well, we can just do that later if you want? There's a nice spot around back for relaxing, maybe we can do picnic lunch!"

"Perhaps. Which way is the school again?"

It had been a few years since she'd strolled these cobbled streets, especially in the daylight. Her late night desperate stumbling toward the castle when she first returned probably didn't count. It wasn't tough to find the castle. Not even at night, thanks to Elsa's shimmering dust of ice that sparkled in the dark.

"This way. When you're up to it, we'll go walking around the whole town until you could get around with your eyes closed! I don't know why you would, but you _could_ and thats what counts."

That earned her a vaguely bemused expression from Iduna, but then they were making their way through the little gate that led to the school.

"Princess Anna! Princess Anna! Are you here to read with us?"

"You bet I am! And I brought my mother to watch. This is Princess Iduna."

Pretty much every child there had seen her at the party the day before, but all managed to be courteous in their greeting to the former Queen, giving their sweet little bows and curtsies before all being shooed back in by the teacher to get to their seats. A second big chair was hastily erected near where Anna usually sat, which she led her mother to before heading to greet the children properly, hearing tales of their time since she last read with them, all with heartfelt promises they had been practicing their reading at home too.

"Alright, who's ready for story time?"

"Me!"

Was chorused back at her several times over, each school child straining to look the most attentive and well-behaved in their seat. Beaming at their little faces, Anna took the book from the teacher and flipped it open to where they'd left off the week before.

She was almost as sad as the kids were when it came time for her to go, though Anna was utterly thrilled by how they all insisted Princess Iduna come back next time too, and maybe she could even read to them? Seeming pleasantly surprised by it herself, Iduna promised to think about it before Anna went about escorting her back to the castle.

"So, how was it?"

"Lovely. You have a wonderful way with them."

Anna glowed with the praise; they might have outgrown needing her approval, but her mothers praise was still pleasant to receive.

"Really? Thanks! You should give it a shot next week if you feel up to reading for an hour. I don't know how used to talking you are yet."

Luckily, Anna was used to doing enough talking for two. Or maybe three people at once. She'd had _so_ many conversations with Elsa's locked doors after all.

"We will see. I think I will rest for a little while before lunch, I'm still feeling the long day yesterday."

"Ok. Try to eat that apple or Alice will have my head! And I am very attached to my head."

Chuckling and shaking her head, Iduna did dutifully pull the fruit from her pocket and take a bite as she headed off toward her room. Seeing Finn catch her at the top of the stairs to ensure she made it there, Anna was content to go and find whatever it was she was doing next. She wasn't sure what it was yet, but when had that ever stopped her?

* * *

The horse beneath her seemed to be in a lazy mood, and only started to trot along after a good few nudges.

"Trying to get out of work again?"

Anna asked, perched happily astride her horse as a skilled, confident rider. Elsa smiled, nodding and trying not to get distracted by how pretty Anna's freckles looked in the sunlight, or how beautiful her smile was.

There were only so many times one could almost fall off their horse and blame inexperience, after all.

"I think so."

"He usually gets into it after a little while. How are you feeling up there?"

"Very good. Not sure I'm ready to be left unsupervised though."

Anna giggled.

"Don't worry, I won't let you ride alone."

The one morning a week Elsa took _just _to spend time with Anna was absolutely vital to her life by then, and the kingdom kept ticking just fine without her for those precious few hours where she was just able to be with her lover, Anna. And while there were occasional twinges in her chest about _why _she couldn't already ride a horse, that hollow ache of loneliness through all her years locked away, Elsa was honestly so happy to be learning from Anna.

And though she probably wouldn't admit it, Anna clearly loved to teach her. Elsa knew Anna sometimes felt like the spare, the backup, and even more so since Elsa was coronated as she felt like a princess in the shadows. But to Elsa? Anna was the shining star, the pride of their family. If learning to ride a horse as a grown adult meant making Anna realise just how special she was, then Elsa would take the occasional tremor of loneliness that haunted her memories.

Besides, there was an incredible positive in just going out to the stables, and that was Anna in riding trousers. Elsa wasn't entirely sure it was _legal _for her to look that good, but Anna went and did it anyway.

"How are your legs feeling?"

"Better than last week, and _much _better than last month."

"So you're getting used to it. Awesome!"

They took the horses back to the stables so the staff there could tend to them - Elsa was learning to do that too, but their ride had gone on a little longer than usual and she needed to clean up and be ready to host a couple of visitors right after lunch. Really, she shouldn't have spent her morning outside at all, but after the harsh words exchanged with their mother the night before, the sisters _needed _that time to just be together, to be free of any other expectations.

Waiting for the water to be prepared so she could have a quick wash between outfits, Elsa leant against the wall and sighed to herself, focusing on not letting her powers eek out as last night came back to her again.

_"We have to talk about this!"_

_Elsa had, foolishly and definitely with a touch of denial, hoped the matter had dropped when their mother didn't say anything about it for a full two weeks. Alas, it seemed she had only been waiting to regain some of her strength before tackling it all over again._

_"There is nothing to say!"_

_"Elsa, you are the Queen of Arendelle. You **cannot **continue on with this... deviance! If your father were alive-"_

_"Well he's not! You two **left **me here alone after locking me up for all those years. I didn't ask you to go and get yourselves killed!"_

_The fact Iduna was not actually dead didn't really matter just then - Elsa had **thought **they were both gone, and lived as an orphaned, terrified child trapped in the body of an adult about to be coronated for over three years._

_Though healthier than she'd looked even a mere two and a half weeks ago for her 'return' party, the previous monarch was still a little thin in places, some of her bones sharp against her nightdress when she gestured broadly and the tension in her jaw pulling her still-slightly-sunken cheeks even tighter. It added to the tension of the moment with guilt; Elsa was angry at her mother every time the presumptive demands about she and Anna came out, but the woman was still not recovered from spending three years at sea and going through awful things to get back to them._

_But neither were backing down, it seemed. If the staff couldn't hear them, she'd be amazed._

_"No, you didn't. But we... that isn't the point! If you think this thing with Anna is because you were kept apart, then what difference would it have made if your father and I had survived and returned two weeks later, as planned?"  
_

_Elsa baulked. The feeling she had for Anna... she had no doubt they would still have been there, but even if Anna had returned them still, would she have had the nerve to do anything like they had with two sets of watchful eyes, and no cushion of her own status as Queen to quiet the staff?_

_"No difference at all. You'd just be two more people we had to hide it from."_

_"You know you can't keep this up. You're the Queen! You have to marry well for the kingdom."_

_"What for? I'm never going to produce an heir, so what you are saying is I should not only force myself in to a loveless marriage, but I should do it to a man who will then never be able to have his own children. Is that **really **what you want for me, mother?"_

_It went back and forth like that for several minutes before Anna's distinctive knock sounded at the door, peering in with wide eyes and a worried expression._

_"Uh. People are getting nervous about the snow outside. Everything ok?"_

_Elsa had asked for five minutes to speak with their mother alone; she didn't want Anna having to listen to reasons they shouldn't be together. Why upset both of them?_

_She looked to the window, wincing as she saw the fat flakes of snow falling quickly and heavily. Already, Arendelle was starting to look white again. Anna didn't hesitate, crossing the room and wrapping her arms around Elsa's middle. Her warmth and love thawed Elsa instantly, and the snow seemed to vanish as quickly as it appeared when Elsa managed to reign herself in. Anna shivered slightly as Elsa returned her hug, the ice still glowing at her fingertips until they landed on Anna, melting the Ice Queen until Elsa felt like herself again._

_"Better?"_

_Anna murmured._

_"Yes. Thank you. I'm going to bed, goodnight mother."_

_Anna held her hand as they left, their mothers voice following them._

_"This isn't over!"_

"Your Majesty? The water is ready."

"Thank you Gerda. I'll be fine to do this alone."

"As you wish."

Left to clean herself up, hearing the maids next door picking out an outfit just in case Elsa opted not to form her own dress, Elsa sighed to herself as she traced a small mark on her inner thigh. Anna left it there the night before, rather fond of those intimate little secret bruises on them both. Something nobody else could see, but that they took with them wherever they went.

Perhaps Anna had realised how badly Elsa would need the reminder that day.

-IEA-

**Tasty tasty fluffy angsty.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Anonymous Guest: I want you to know my friends and I had a great laugh at your expense, and if you don't thimk my fic rises to your goliath standards of entertainment, you are cordially invited to fuck off.  
**

**Also, on the topic of Iduna's 'title'... I'm almost 30 and had the same Queen for my entire life (she's been reigning twice that time), and Queen Mother is a relatively new term here in the UK. I also didn't see the term 'dowager queen' anywhere when looking up the Norwegian Royal Family. And truthfully, in the grand scheme of incestuous lesbianism, it _really _doesn't matter. I do appreciate you guys trying to be helpful though :) **

-IEA-

"A very promising and fruitful meeting, thank you for your time Queen Elsa."

Elsa inclined her head with a small smile.

"Likewise."

One of her visitors left, but the second hung back. He was a well regarded advisor to someone important, but at that moment, he looked a little bit shady if she was honest. He glanced around, ensuring they were relatively alone.

"I hope you do not think me too forward, Your Majesty" oh dear, where was _this _going? "but could I see just a little of your magic? I've heard such fantasical tales, but I just can't picture it!"

Anders _did_ seem genuinely interested... Elsa indulged him, twirling her finger in mid-air above her palm until a small, solid plate formed itself there from ice. Glittering in the sunlight coming through the window, Elsa held it out.

"I'm afraid it will almost certainly melt."

He actually let a short, stunned laugh, examining the little ice formation.

"Extraordinary! Thank you for humouring an old man Your Majesty. I wish you well, and I'll be sure to pass on these things to the Prince!"

Smiling softly, Elsa nodded and gave a small wave - she'd already done the proper farewell - as Anders left, still clutching the plate. Elsa hoped it at least lasted until he got to his ship again. Or at the very least, out of the castle, rather than leave a trail of melted water from the heat of his hands throughout the Royal homestead.

Taking a look at the time, Elsa knew Anna would still likely be out mingling with the townspeople. It had been a little while since she walked the streets herself, so Elsa changed in to more comfortable boots and headed down to acquire a guard, irritating as she found the requirement. Sometimes she was allowed out without a visible one, but there were always eyes out in the square to ensure their Queen was alright.

At least they trailed behind her so Elsa could, if she tried, almost pretend she was alone. And really, her mind was elsewhere, eyes scanning the streets, searching for the face in the crowd she knew would lighten her heart in a second. As it turned out, Anna found her.

"Elsa!"

Though soft and pliant to the touch when they were undressed, Anna felt surprisingly solid when she slammed herself into Elsa in something that could only loosely be called a 'hug', but it was such an _Anna _way to act that it made Elsa smile regardless. She turned, sliding her arms around Anna and inhaling her scent.

"Anna."

"What are you doing out here?"

"I thought I'd take a walk around Arendelle. I don't see nearly enough of it."

With a beaming, joyful smile plastered across her face, Anna nodded her understanding, still holding Elsa loosely around the middle, and Elsa felt no need to do anything about that for the moment.

"I'd join you, but I promised I'd help Oaken at his new store."

"Then I will see you for dinner."

Elsa kissed Anna's hair, ambiguous enough to be done in public but Elsa knew it made Anna feel fluttery inside (as she'd been told, several times) and so it was fun to get away with that.

"Where is mother?"

"I believe she's resting."

Truthfully, Elsa had no real idea. Iduna had been avoiding them both since the evenings argument, and had even requested both breakfast and lunch in her room. Still under orders from Elsa to accommodate the recovering woman, nobody had argued.

"Oh."

Anna knew Elsa was sort of lying. She squeezed Elsa around the middle again, then reluctantly stepped back, smile back in place though it didn't quite reach her eyes like before.

"See you at dinner."

Elsa watched her head toward Oaken's newest business venture - his husband ran the trading post on the mountain whenever Oaken was down in Arendelle, though their children were learning to do the same - before turning away and continuing her walk through Arendelle. It was good to interact with the people, to not constantly be some absent monarch hidden away behind closed doors, 'too good' to mingle with the commoners.

On top of that, she'd been trapped for _far_ too long to remain isolated now.

Though as she'd entertained after lunch for a couple of hours, Elsa didn't have all day to wander the streets of Arendelle. She did make a point to greet shopkeepers and indulge excited children where she could, though Elsa knew she'd never have Anna's innate knack for warmth and friendliness, the way she just drew people in with her light and _goodness._

Elsa's own personal sunshine.

As she passed Oaken's store, she saw Anna elbow deep in work, though when she spotted Elsa Anna did straighten up, waving with one hand while her other swiped across a sweaty forehead. Elsa swallowed heavily at the sight, but restrained herself to a smile and a polite greeting to Oaken before she continued on her way.

She returned to the castle in time to be early for dinner, which meant catching up on paperwork so there'd be less to do that evening. Which meant less work Anna could distract her from, as her sister had a habit of doing...

Their mother did come down for dinner, though she was quiet the entire time other than to thank the staff. Anna chattered away to fill the silence, helped along by Olaf and Kristoff, and Elsa responded in the right places with the hefty weight sitting between mother and daughters.

"Hey, Anna!"

"Yes Olaf?"

"It's your birthday soon, right? That _is_ what they call it isn't it? Still getting the hang of these human things."

Anna nodded in answer to Olaf, and Elsa smiled to herself at the thought of the gifts she had waiting.

"Yep!"

There were so many years to make up for, after all.

"I bet Elsa has something really cool planned! Elsa throws the best parties! Ooooh, will there be ice skating?"

"If Anna wants there to be."

Anna chewed thoughtfully on her chicken, before her eyes glittered in a mischievous way that made Elsa's pulse pick up.

"Sure, but only if you give me extra lessons so I don't make a fool of myself."

Fighting to keep her face neutral, Elsa nodded slowly.

"I am sure I can set aside some time for you."

Anna beamed.

"Then yes, Olaf, there will be ice skating."

"Awesome! Ice skating is my favourite! Apart from playing in the snow, that is. Come on Sven, we gotta go practice!"

The bemused reindeer reluctantly followed Olaf, and after wrapping some extra food in a few napkins, Kristoff excused himself to go and rescue his friend.

"How is he gonna practice without you to make ice?"

Anna pouted cutely as she looked on in confusion.

"It's Olaf, will we ever truly understand him?"

"Good point."

As it fell quiet again, Elsa realised they'd been left alone with Iduna again. She met neither of their eyes, only continued to eat in silence. She was still wearing Elsa's old gloves, but aside from not always clearing her plate, Iduna's eating was effectively back to normal. Elsa reassured herself with that, trying to quiet the anxiety of unresolved tension.

Anna hummed happily as she moved on to chocolate pudding (_how _she wasn't sick of it yet, Elsa didn't know, but so long as it made Anna happy, it was on the menu), licking the spoon with an innocent smile while her eyes said she _knew _what that did to Elsa. Anna was forever incorrigible.

"I have some work to finish this evening. Goodnight mother."

"I'll come by for hot chocolate before bed, yeah?"

Anna asked, and Elsa nodded.

"Of course."

If Anna waited that long, Elsa would eat her crown.

Well, she'd have to go and find it first, after casting it aside up in the North Mountain. A new one had been commissioned recently, but was not yet finished, and if she was honest Elsa didn't look forward to wearing it again. She _definitely _didn't want to put her hair back up in that horribly confining style again. It just reminded her of her hands shaking as she peeled off her gloves, hoping the orb and scepter wouldn't freeze at her touch...

"Elsa? Aren't you leaving?"

Blinking and shaking her head to clear it, Elsa nodded and rose.

"Yes, sorry, I... spaced out a little. Good evening."

Elsa headed to her study to finish her paperwork, making notes on people she needed to consult with the next day about budgets, trade, final plans for Anna's birthday and such. She'd barely finished that when there was a distinctive little knock at her door, followed by the most welcome face of all peering around the door.

"Come on in Anna."

Anna closed the door behind her, and crossed over to perch on Elsa's lap as she pushed herself out from the desk to facilitate the expected action. Elsa reached up to Anna's face, swiping her thumb across the side of her mouth.

"What?"

"You had a little chocolate on your face."

"Oh."

Before Elsa could blink, Anna had her lips around her thumb, tongue flicking over the little bit of chocolate with a sound that was honestly _indecent. _She wondered if the spark, the blistering _heat _of it all that near consumed her with Anna would ever fade, though she knew even if it did that it would leave behind a lingering warmth of love, and _that _was never going to fade.

"You" Anna tapped her finger on the very tip of Elsa's nose "no going overboard for my birthday, ok? It's enough for me to be spending it with you at last. Wait. I didn't mean to add the last bit. Pretend I just said it's enough to be spending it with you."

Elsa nodded.

"I won't go overboard."

She meant it. But Elsa also knew there was no such thing as doing _too much, _so really, she _couldn't _go overboard, even if she wanted to. Anna didn't need to know that though.

"Good. So... have much more work to do?"

"Why? Did you have something better for me to be doing?"

"Yes. I want you to come braid my hair."

Taking that as Anna's way of saying "you've done enough work today" signal - even though Elsa had spent the morning on horseback with her sister - and accepting she'd get no more done with a persistent sibling sat in her lap anyway, Elsa nodded.

"You know I wouldn't say no."

"Good. So, finish up quickly so we can go."

Elsa had enforced a concession with Anna that she be allowed to at least finish what she'd started, as Elsa abhorred leaving things half-finished when it made it much more complicated to come back to the next day. So she made sure the list was done, organised her papers in order that she'd need them tomorrow and picked up the missives she needed ready to send the next morning. Handing those off to be put through the usual processes, Elsa turned to her sister.

"I'm all yours."

* * *

Woken by her bladder, Iduna sighed and reluctantly left the warm cocoon of covers for the bathroom. As she returned, she heard strange creaks and muffled cursing outside. It was _highly _unlikely there would be anybody who shouldn't be in the castle, but that didn't prevent Iduna's heart from pounding in panic as she reached for the door handle, unable to help but look.

"Elsa?"

Rather bizarrely, she found her eldest daughter, Queen of Arendelle, crawling under a table in the corridor. In the middle of the night. She jumped, banging her head on the underside of said table and swearing colourfully, snowflakes dusting the floor under her hands.

"Mother! What are you doing awake?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Their relationship was still... strained, unfortunately. Elsa and Anna both refused to see sense, and they both insisted Iduna refused to accept reality.

"I'm doing something for Anna... hang on" she finished fumbling under the table, and reappeared upright, brushing a few specks of dust the cleaners missed from the skirt of her nightdress "speaking of... there is a dress being brought to you in the morning. Whether you wear it, whether you turn up... is up to you."

And, as though that was all there was to say, Elsa hurried off before Iduna had chance to answer, hearing the clang of a suit of armour around the corner before she closed her bedroom door behind her.

-IEA-

**Sorry this took a while to update, I got swept up doing a bunch of commissions and fell behind on... everything, really.**


	12. Chapter 12

**YuukiAsuna-Chan - because I make mistakes. Still new to writing Frozen fics and never had to use the royalty thing before. I fixed it in Ch11. Feel free to ignore it in future, cus it will probably happen again.**

**Look, I've never written 'royalty' fics before Frozen. I'm still figuring this out. I make mistakes. I will continue to make mistakes. If that bothers people, they shouldn't continue reading.**

-IEA-

Yawning in to her hand, Elsa shook off the tiredness - she'd had longer nights, many times, and no cause was more worthy of lost sleep than _Anna _\- and looked around the courtyard. The little ice statue on the cake of she and Anna holding hands made her smile.

"You sure you're ok to watch everything?"

"Of course!"

"I don't want anything to go wrong!"

Kristoff rolled his eyes, and Sven copied.

"It's fine. We got this."

"Really? Because Olaf is eating the cake."

"Oh!"

Kristoff quickly headed over to stop Olaf going to town on Anna's birthday cake, pulling the protesting snowman away.

"But it's an ice cream cake!"

"And it's for Anna!"

Pouting, Olaf acquiesced, and Kristoff reassured Elsa she could go. If it were any other reason, she'd probably stay there and fuss, still learning to let go of some of that rigid control she'd _had _to maintain for all those years, hiding her powers. But Anna was waiting, and that was reason enough to relax a little on the control thing.

Just a little though.

After a quick check in with the staff that everything else was all good, Elsa grabbed the pot of sunflowers and took them up with her, placing them on Anna's dressing table so she'd see them right away. The dress was _perfect, _so very Anna and Elsa had angsted over every detail for a week straight. As of that moment, the only detail Elsa couldn't be _certain _of was whether or not their mother would turn up.

Anna, who slept so deeply she didn't even seem to have noticed Elsa gone most of the night, was snoring lightly, hair its usual explosive mess that made Elsa smile fondly. Satisfied everything was as ready as it could be, Elsa leant over her slumbering sister.

"Anna?"

Her sister let out a rather unladylike, but absolutely hilarious snorting noise.

"Anna? Happy birthday."

"To you..."

Elsa giggled at Anna's half asleep answer.

"It's _your _birthday."

"To me..." Elsa waited, pretty sure she knew what would happen, and sure enough Anna bolted upright seconds later "it's my birthday!"

Adoring the sight of her huge, chaotic hair and sleep-soft features, Elsa nodded.

"Yep. And it's going to be the _best _birthday you ever had!"

"Hold that thought."

Anna leapt from the bed and ran to the bathroom, stark naked as Elsa had left her the night before so she got a pleasant surprise view of Anna's bare backside. As she opened the curtains up to let the daylight in, there was a knock at the door, timed quite well.

"Breakfast!"

"Just a minute! The princess isn't ready to be seen yet. You can just leave it there."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Elsa heard the footsteps retreat, poking her head out and finding the tray of Anna's favourites waiting there. Her sister finally exited the bathroom, trying in vain to pat down her hair, bare skin glowing in the light of her window.

"Come sit, I'll fix your hair and then you can have breakfast."

Anna perched agreeably, dreamy smile on her face as Elsa began to work at taming the wild locks, thankfully something she had a fair bit of practice in now. She worked it in to a braid, wrapping the braid up out of the way so it wouldn't get in her food before indicating Anna could get back in to bed.

"I love the flowers. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now come on, eat up. You need your energy!"

"Oh really?"

Anna's eyes sparkled with mischief, and Elsa was almost convinced by that (and Anna's nudity) alone to delay the day a little. But she'd roped a fair few others in, so _those _celebrations would have to wait until later.

"Yes, I planned the whole day! I have a lot to make up for, after all the birthdays you spent staring at my locked door."

"Hey, that rhymed! Oooh, are those berries?"

Anna didn't miss a beat, pulling Elsa from regretful thoughts of the past to the absolute joy of the present, licking playfully at Elsa's fingers when she hand fed her little sweet things, leaving Anna to eat the honey and yoghurt herself while Elsa washed her hands. She came out to find Anna gleefully dipping her krumkakes in to chocolate, beckoning Elsa over to share. Careful not to get any of the still-liquid chocolate on herself, Elsa took a few small bites before pulling back, not as much a fan of chocolate first thing as Anna. With no such issue, Anna crammed the rest in to her mouth before pushing the covers away and getting up from the bed.

"Done?"

She swallowed thickly, reaching for water and taking a long swallow.

"Yeah. That was awesome, thanks!"

"Just the beginning. But first, you have to get dressed, because while I highly approve of your current outfit, it might not be appropriate for outside."

"Spoilsport."

Elsa chuckled, reaching for the clothing bag hanging up.

"Besides, I had a new dress made for you!"

"Aww, that's so sweet!"

After washing her face, cleaning her teeth and being convinced in to putting her underlayers on, Anna finally got in to her dress. Elsa closed her eyes and focused, having been practicing for a while at what she tried next - using her magic to transform her dress in to a different colour - if it wasn't white or some shade of blue, it didn't tend to happen, but after much practice and focus, Elsa had managed to perfect a dress in green to match Anna's. She _could _have had one made, but testing the limits of her powers and seeing if they were flexible was a good way to keep a check on them.

"Now what?"

"Shoes?"

"Oh, good idea!"

Anna scrambled to put her little ankle boots on, straightening up with a beaming smile. Elsa plucked a small flower from the table, slipping it in to Anna's hair.

"Your dress and hair match" Elsa led Anna along, and as soon as they left the bedroom, she held up the starting strands "now just follow the string!"

"Follow the... what?"

Giggling to herself at Anna's adorably confused face, Elsa began leading her along their tour of Arendelle castle, strings tied under tables and around the helmets of suits of armour, Trying to convince her staff to get her _so _much string had been a little awkward, but a few had seen her crawling around the castle tying it last night and probably had a good (but respectfully hidden) laugh at her expense.

Of course, there were gifts hidden along the way, like the bracelet Elsa had had made for Anna. As there hadn't been a great deal of events hosted before Elsa's coronation and the subsequent Freeze and Thaw, Anna didn't have a great deal of sparkly things to liven up a formal outfit. While Elsa wanted to give Anna things just to make her smile, she wanted them to be meaningful in some way, and at least _some _to be practical rather than just extravagant.

The bracelet was Elsa's way of saying she wanted Anna at her side for important events, even the super formal ones. A couple of the gifts were not so practical, like the giant sandwich (which Anna was thrilled about!) and the fresh bouquet of flowers.

There were scandalised staff and some pointed tutting when Elsa took Anna cycling around the halls of the castle (having had to learn to _ride _the bike in preparation), because she remembered hearing Anna ask her if she wanted to go cause trouble like that as kids. She was making up for it all, as best she could.

"The next one is the best!"

Cheeks bulging with sandwich, Anna's eyes widened as she frantically tried to chew and swallow faster, following Elsa up the stairs to where it waited. There was a future one booked, waiting for Iduna to be less sickly-looking before they memorialised her return (at Iduna's own behest), but this particular family portrait Elsa had had done already was one she couldn't wait to show Anna.

"Oh, wow!"

"Do you like it?"

The painting of them ringing the Yule Bell together stood before her, Elsa hovering anxiously as she awaited the verdict.

"I love it! Thank you so much!"

Anna barely managed to put her other gifts down before she threw herself at Elsa, arms wrapping tightly around her before Anna kissed her soundly. Elsa responded happily, hands resting low on Anna's back to hold her close.

"Happy birthday Anna."

* * *

After dropping off most of her gifts back in her room (apart from the portrait which obviously needed more people to help move it), Anna happily walked down to the courtyard hand in hand with Elsa, which was kind of emptier than she expected - there was only Kristoff and Sven and Olaf, really.

And a _huge _cake.

Feeling a bit dejected at the absence of their mother, Anna pushed it aside and smiled when Olaf came tottering over, arms thrown in the air excitedly.

"Happy birthday!"

"Thanks Olaf!"

He wrapped himself around her leg for a hug before ambling off again, Kristoff and Sven both greeting her happily and congratulating her on the day too.

"Oh, hang on one minute!"

Bemused, Anna watched as Kristoff rushed over to the gates she'd only just noticed were closed again. As soon as they opened, what seemed like the entirely of Arendelle poured in, shouting various sentiments of celebration for Anna's birthday, depositing a large stack of gifts on any empty surface they could find as Anna swelled with joy, beaming so widely her cheeks hurt.

"I... thank you, everyone! Oh Elsa, this is amazing! You really planned all this?"

"Of course."

"But I told you not to go overboard!"

Elsa gave Anna her best innocent smile, shrugging lightly.

"I didn't. Nothing is too much for you."

In serious danger of melting there on the spot, Anna buried her face in Elsa's neck, thankful for her sisters cool skin as a flush rose on her face. Elsa patted her back gently, making soft, soothing sounds as though knowing Anna was on the edge of overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by _joy,_ though, which was not really a bad thing.

"Ok, I'm good. Let's party!"

People cheered, and Elsa smiled, kissing her forehead before letting Anna go and take the congratulations in person.

"Are you gonna open our gifts?"

Several small children asked as Anna shook each of their little hands, a tradition of sorts from when they saw her out and about in the town square.

"Later, there's a lot and I don't wanna waste the party just opening stuff now, do I? I mean, then there might not be time for cake!"

That seemed to remind her own stomach that there was in fact, a cake, and she spotted the cute little ice statues on top of she and Elsa holding hands. Turning to look for her sister, wanting to ask Elsa to make sure to keep that frozen so Anna could keep it, Anna scoured the courtyard, eyes catching sight of someone just coming out of the castle doors.

Anna's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her. Sunlight highlighted pale skin, a well tailored dress fitting to her form, and the slightly shy, awkward posture she had wasn't enough to distract from the little healthy flush in her cheeks at last.

She was used to getting breathless when she looked at her sister.

Anna wasn't used to it happening when she was looking at their _m__other._

"Anna, are you alright?"

Elsa's voice broke Anna from her daze, and she nodded a little dumbly. Elsa hadn't seemed to notice, as she was looking at what Anna had been looking at.

"Oh. Mother's here."

"Yeah. I better uh. Go say hi?"

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's fine. Might be easier on her if I go alone. But then we can do cake?"

Elsa nodded, squeezing her hand before Anna headed over to their mother, hoping she wouldn't forget how to breathe again. They hadn't seen much of her lately, what with the whole unresolved issues between them, and even that short time had her cheeks filling out more, the unsteadiness of her gait almost completely gone even without something to brace upon.

"Mother."

"Anna. Happy birthday."

"Thank you. And... thank you for coming."

Looking a little reticent still, Iduna moved to hug Anna, and it was even more clear that she'd started to gain weight again as Anna couldn't feel the sharp ends of her bones any longer. As she tried to catch her breath again, she realised her mother was wearing perfume again.

It was just a little too similar to Elsa's for Anna to cope at all, pulling away from Iduna a little too sharply, confusing her mother.

"Everything alright?"

"Mhmm. Yep! Just... cake! Let's do cake!"

Well, she'd obviously styled that out well. Nodding to herself, she marched over to the cake, Elsa giving her a curious look. Not about to explain she was having a weird fluttery moment over their mother, Anna cleared her throat and smiled at her sister.

"Time for cake!"

-IEA-

**Very subtle, Anna. 10/10**


	13. Chapter 13

**I swear, I could write fucking anything here, cus it's _very_ clear some people don't read authors notes. **

-IEA-

"Are you ready?"

Elsa asked, trying not to stare at where Anna was sucking icing off her fingers. How was she _allowed_ to do that in public, really? The residents of Arendelle clapped and cheered, still a heady reminder of that first time after the Freeze and the Thaw, when nobody ran in fear from her powers anymore.

"Yes!"

"Go Queen Elsa!"

The tables of Anna's gifts and the cake had been moved safely out of the way, and as she had insisted she _couldn't _skate, Iduna had been encouraged to move back into the doorway of the castle. Fingers clean, Anna shuffled over to Elsa, waiting. As she saw everyone wait excitedly, Elsa lifted the hem of her dress a little and tapped her foot on the ground. Ice began to spread out from the tip of her shoe, spreading out to cover the entire courtyard, sparkling columns springing up around the edges. Just for decoration.

She froze the fountains so they wouldn't splash out, waved her fingers so everyone's shoes became skates. They all took off happily - ice skating was now a standard Arendelle pasttime, so pretty much everyone _could _skate - except for Anna, who reached for Elsa's hands.

"Need some help?"

Anna nodded, still a little... off. Elsa wondered if it was their mother watching, or the party overwhelming her, but when the ice was under their feet again, she took Elsa's hand and smiled.

"Let's skate."

Elsa remembered the first time they did this, that first time Anna leant on her for support and the first time Elsa felt truly _free. _Anna had climbed that mountain and survived a frozen heart and saved Elsa's life, warmed Elsa's cold heart with her warmth and love. She'd been the one to assure Elsa that Arendelle would accept her again, to convince her not to hide away with her powers all over again. So it was novel that Elsa was a natural at _something _for once, that there was something she could show Anna.

She felt their mothers eyes on them at times, but it was Anna's birthday and Elsa was happy to let the tension go ignored for the day.

"Show off a little for me."

"Do I have to?"

Elsa already knew she would. She had a lot of trouble saying no to Anna, and _o__h_ how her sister knew it.

"Just a little. Please?"

That smile, those _eyes..._ that was all it took for Elsa to agree. Closing her eyes, she thought about it before waving her hand again, conjuring a dozen tiny little snowmen, each one circling Anna before clambering up to bounce around on her head and shoulders. She roared with laughter, Elsa's heart swelling at the sight.

"Show-off enough?"

Anna liked her powers more than Elsa really thought healthy, but it was much better than her being afraid, and it was fun to tease her a little now and then...

"For now. You can show off a little more later."

Her eyes sparkled with promise, Elsa's pulse quickening. Olaf squealed with delight when he saw the little snow-creatures, shouting "little brothers" and chasing after them. They scampered off, and Anna called after the larger snowman to be careful not to knock people over in his excitable haste.

After they'd cantered about on the ice for a while, dodging Sven and Kristoff as they skidded about and Olaf as he chased Elsa's newest creations, Elsa found herself with an armful of Anna as they stood at the sides under guise of catching her breath.

"Don't you realise how amazing that is?"

Anna asked, looking up at Elsa.

"What?"

"That you can make... living stuff. Those little snow peeps, Olaf, even Marshmallow. They're _alive. _You did that! And even your Ice Palace is a work of art. You're so incredible Elsa."

Feeling her cheeks flush, Elsa pressed her face against Anna's neck.

"Today is supposed to be about you. Go back to making me blush some other time."

"Aww, but I love making you blush!"

She giggled, rubbing circles on the back of Elsa's neck with her fingers. That warm touch was enough to send a pleasant shiver down her spine, and Elsa reluctantly pulled back before Anna _really _flustered her.

"I'm gonna go get more cake. You coming?"

Elsa shook her head, much as she wanted to carry on watching Anna dig in to sweet treats.

"No, you go ahead. Maybe you can catch up with mother for a little while."

Anna's face shifted to something strange before she pushed out a tight smile, which she _had _to know wouldn't fool Elsa but she was already moving.

"Yeah, maybe."

Elsa watched her to the door, a little beckon of her fingers pulling the ice from under her feet so Anna could walk into the castle rather than wobble on the thin blades.

"Your Majesty!"

Kristoff gave a dramatic bow, which had the predicted effect of making Elsa roll her eyes and laugh.

"You know you don't have to call me that."

"I know, but it makes you smile. What's on your mind Elsa?"

"What else?"

Kristoff snickered, leaning dramatically against the wall and doing his best "_I am wise_" face.

"Anna, of course. But why? She's obviously having the time of her life. You did great!"

Elsa nodded, but her mind kept replaying the strange look on Anna's face.

"I hope so."

She _really _hoped so. Hoped Anna's mood shift was nerves about their mother, or Elsa's own imagination. Kristoff patted her arm, uncommonly at ease with touching royalty. He'd more than earned it. Sven bumped his head on her shoulder, expecting attention. Elsa patted him awkwardly, mind still very much on Anna in the castle.

* * *

Well, Iduna certainly couldn't fault Elsa on effort. It wasn't _grand _in the way balls and weddings were, but Anna's birthday party had still definitely been a major event, and it had obviously been everything _Anna _had wanted. From the ridiculous things like _cycling in the halls _and the string all over the place to seemingly random gifts and ice cream cake.

There were new, tiny and squeaky little snow-things running around the castle when the party began to wind down. Her daughters had disappeared the minute the guests were heading out of the gates, and Iduna did her best not to think about that. She wasn't ready to retire to bed just yet - a testament to her physical recovery, perhaps? - and so Iduna requested a hot drink and took hersel off to a nearby lounge, intending to enjoy a roaring fire and the view afforded by large windows of Arendelle as dusk fell.

The lounge wasn't empty.

Anna's head turned, glancing up at Iduna before looking away sharply. Her younger daughter was half-sitting, half-lying on the sofa. Elsa was laid on top of her, head resting on Anna's chest, one hand resting on Anna's stomach, and she was fast asleep. Anna was looking at the sleeping form of Elsa as though she couldn't possibly imagine a place she would rather be, eyes soft and full of love.

"Do you not both have beds?"

Anna blinked, not meeting Iduna's eye even when she looked over. Both kept their voices as quiet as they could.

"Uh. Yeah. But Elsa swore she wasn't tired. She's been working late the last few days, and then I _think _she was up all night sorting birthday stuff."

Remembering finding the Queen of Arendelle under a table, tying string, Iduna nodded.

"I saw her putting string up in the night."

"You did?"

"I woke for the bathroom, and heard a peculiar noise outside my door."

Anna nodded at her, eyes still on Elsa, one hand occasionally feathering across the top of Elsa's hair.

"Honestly, today was amazing, but _this _is my favourite gift right here."

"Elsa sleeping?"

Anna exhaled softly, mouth turning up in a smile.

"Letting me take care of her. She's stubborn and tries to always insist she's fine. Moments like this are... precious to me."

When Iduna had thought of her daughters those lost years and wished they were taking care of each other, _that _wasn't what she'd had in mind. But she couldn't deny how content Anna looked, how _relaxed _Elsa looked. Her reign could weigh heavily, but Anna brought her a peace unrivaled by anything or any_one_ else she'd seen.

"I hadn't expected to find you here."

Anna shrugged lightly, peering to check it hadn't woken Elsa.

"Well, yeah, I was hoping for... never mind."

Anna caught herself, cheeks flushing. Iduna was saved trying to come up with a response by the arrival of the drink she'd asked for delivered by Peter, another fairly new face to Iduna. Upon noticing the Queen and Princess, Peter excused himself quickly after asking if Anna needed anything, to which she replied in the negative.

Silence hung thick in the air for a few minutes, broken only by the crackling of the fire and Iduna's occasional sips. Elsa slept on unaware of the awkwardness.

"You look... well, by the way."

"Excuse me?"

Anna seemed uncommonly flustered, but Iduna put that down to almost saying something she shouldn't to her mother.

"I noticed earlier, you look, you know, a lot healthier. And the dress you have on is really pretty."

As they'd not seen much of each other recently, perhaps the difference was more obvious to Anna than Iduna, who saw her own sickly reflection daily.

"Oh. Thank you."

Elsa began to stir on Anna's chest, covering her mouth with her hand to yawn softly as her eyes fluttered open. Anna petted her gently until Elsa pushed herself up on one arm, blinking as she took in the sight of Iduna, then turned to look at Anna.

"You let me fall asleep."

Her voice was still a little rough with sleep and there were marks on her face from the fabric of Anna's clothing that had been under her cheek, but Anna was unapologetic and simply tapped a finger on the tip of Elsa's nose.

"You're cute when you sleep, and you needed the rest."

Elsa offered Anna a rather indulgent smile, shaking her head and yawning again.

"Then I should get to bed. Good evening mother."

Elsa inclined her head toward Iduna stiffly, then left the room. Anna stayed where she was in silence for a moment, then got up herself. There was little point in pretence in front of her, really.

"Enjoy your drink, and I hope you sleep well."

And with that, Iduna was left alone. She stared at the spot that her daughters had vacated and wondered, not for the first time, if she was fighting a losing battle in trying to make them see sense.

-IEA-

**This isn't quite the chapter I had planned, but some rude dick put me off working on it so I threw on a quick ending and I'm putting this up cus I don't know when I'll feel like working on this again.**


	14. Chapter 14

**So, largely supportive response to last chapters notes (all very much appreciated, and the reason I opted to come back and write another chapter), but some... not so much. **

**How full of shit do you need to be to say I'm being unreasonable for asking people to treat me with a shred of decency? Fucking hell, some of you are the reasons people quit writing.  
**

-IEA-

Sometimes, Elsa wondered if the reason Anna continued to knock - considering she was completely free to let herself in to any room in the castle - was because she was making up for years of closed doors. At least now she knew Elsa would always answer, always open them.

"Come in."

Anna's head appeared, smiling at Elsa where she was sat at her desk.

"Hey. Busy?"

"Always, but you know I can always spare a minute for you."

She pushed her chair out from the desk, creating space to allow Anna to perch on her lap. Anna did so, leaning down to kiss Elsa softly and the two shared a smile.

"So, I was talking to mother" since Anna's birthday, they were still on shaky ground but their mother _did _come down to more meals, and actually spoke to them now "and she said she wants to see the castle you made. Besides, I thought we could go check on Marshmallow. He might be lonely."

Olaf naming Elsa's giant snow guardian _Marshmallow _had stuck, and Elsa didn't have the heart to change it. Besides which, it was surprisingly sweet a name for what was once the embodiment of Elsa's terror, her bone-deep fear of Anna getting too close and getting hurt again. Apparently Marshmallow had been a little overzealous, though he hadn't actually _hurt _anyone himself, the need to escape via a two hundred foot cliff dive didn't really go to keeping Anna safe.

Elsa hadn't been back up the North Mountain for a while. Definitely not since their mother came back.

"I have quite a few meetings and visitors this week, but if you like we can take a trip next week?"

"Sounds good. Will you still have time for riding this week?"

"Of course. I always do my best to keep that morning free."

Anna beamed.

"I know. But sometimes you're busy. I do appreciate you making time for me."

Winding her arms around Elsa's neck, Anna kissed her soundly, the taste of sweet berries on her tongue. Letting her hand settle against Anna's waist, Elsa managed to drag up just enough presence of mind to not get completely lost in her sister. It was good timing, as no sooner than Anna was pouting about the kiss stopping, there was a knock at the door. Anna stood up, pointedly wiping her mouth. Elsa picked up a mirror, noticed the light make-up she wore that day was a little smudged. Quickly dabbing the smudge away, she touched her own cold hands to her warm cheeks to cool the flush there.

"Come in."

She stood as the door opened, smoothing out the wrinkles in the skirt of her dress.

"Your Majesty. A delivery for you, it must be received personally."

"I see. One minute Kai" Elsa turned to her desk, ensured her ink pot was capped and paperweights kept her current work in place "I'm coming."

Anna followed, naturally, someone keeping watch at the door of Elsa's office to make sure nobody snuck in and disrupted her work. They headed down to where the delivery was waiting, the runner for the jeweller (Elsa recognised the box) looking like his entire day was made by Elsa descending the stairs.

"Your Majesty!"

"Good day... sorry, I don't know your name."

"Oh! My apologies, Your Majesty. My name is Christopher."

"It's Kristoff!"

Christopher's eyes widened to the side of dinner plates when he realised he was being chided by a walking, talking snowman. Olaf ran over, curious about the new person in the castle.

"Did someone call me?"

A voice floated in from outside through the open door, Kristoff and Sven coming in to view in the courtyard.

"No, sorry Kristoff. Good day Christopher. I believe you have something for me?"

"Yes, yes! Your new crown. I was instructed only to hand it to you personally."

"I appreciate the diligence. Gerda, would you see if my mother is in her room, and bring her down if she is?"

Gerda hurried off, Anna looking at her strangely.

"Why do you want mother here?"

"She missed my coronation, even though she was the one who finalised the design for my crown. I thought she would like to see the new one."

Considering everything, Elsa still found it almost unbelievable that her mother was gone for over three _years,_ but only missed the coronation by a matter of months. They waited in a slightly stilted silence, but soon enough Gerda was back, Iduna in tow. One hand went to hold the skirt of her dress clear, the other clutching the banister but it was heartening to see her manage stairs by herself with relative ease.

"You sent for me, Elsa?"

"I did, mother. My new crown is here, I thought you would like to see it."

Elsa was the first female heir in several generations, and a Queen by marriage was awarded a different crown to a Queen by birthright. Besides which, King Agnarr's crown wouldn't have even _fit _Elsa if she'd been meant to inherit the actual crown itself. It was much too big. Elsa had a treasured memory of when she and Anna were very young, when Anna had convinced her to sneak in to where father kept his crown, and Anna had tried it on. It was so big it fell right over her head, and the resulting fits of giggles had gotten them caught and scolded.

Christopher finally got to hand the box over, and Elsa took it gracefully. She placed it down on the nearest table, lifting the lid carefully. Everything looked as though they'd obeyed her specifications perfectly from the top, her sister and their mother both hovering closely, curious. It was a blend of old and new - Elsa had wanted to keep some of the design her mother put in to it, but the thought of putting that exact same crown on her head sent unpleasant chills through her.

"It's beautiful."

"It is."

Anna agreed with their mother, and Olaf's mouth opened comically wide in glee.

"Wooooow!"

The same signature shade of gold, the jewelers personal touch being that it was lighter, looking almost silver in certain light. The same central point, the same sparkle of blue in the centre. But instead of framing the central point in that strange shape that reminded her of a flame surrounding an icy centre, Elsa had opted to have smaller points spread out from the middle, each one with smaller sapphires inside.

"Thank you Christopher. You may pass on my gratitude to your boss. It's perfect."

Flustered and smiling, the delivery boy bowed and took his leave. Elsa knew she'd need to visit the jewellers again personally to offer more thanks, but that was for another day.

"Are you gonna do a whole re-enactment, or just have your portrait re-done?"

Anna asked, cocking her head to admire it.

"Why would you have it re-done?"

Their mother asked, looking confused.

"Two reasons. One being that, despite the talent of the painter, that portrait is _awful. _My panic and tension are very clear, and it is not a portrait that inspires faith and trust in the new ruler. The other is that the portrait represents an absolutely awful day, with only a single shining moment in it, and it was not my coronation."

Placing the crown back down gingerly - she'd need to have her hair done before the crown would sit well - Elsa stood and picked up the box.

"Come, I'll show you."

They headed up the stairs - Elsa slowed out of habit, but Iduna kept pace pretty well - and headed up to where Elsa's coronation portrait was _still _waiting to be hung. A lot of walls in the castle had needed some restoration or touch ups to paintwork after her ice did some damage, so she'd been able to put off having it hung.

With just the three of them there (Elsa wasn't sure where Olaf had gotten to, and simply hoped he wasn't causing trouble), it was a quiet moment as Elsa pushed the fabric covering away.

She didn't like looking at the portrait. The artist hadn't painted her looking _as _terrified as she felt, but there was no hiding her rigid posture, the visible discomfort, tension in her jaw and back and shoulders so very clear. When the context of her powers and panic was removed; Elsa simply looked scared of the crown. A poor, flustered lady raised above her capabilities.

"I couldn't hang this alongside father and all those before him. It would make his choice to allow a female to inherit the title look like a mistake. So I used the loss of my crown and the need for repairs after I froze the castle to delay. I just have yet to decide whether to re-stage the coronation and take my oath anew. Swear to protect Arendelle with all that I am, rather than _against _all that I am."

Anna's fingers slipped through hers, squeezing gently in reassurance. Their mother was still looking at the portrait, taking in the image.

"What was the shining moment of that day?"

"It was the first time I got to speak to Anna since we were children. Unless you count me telling her to go away through my locked door for over ten years."

Anna's grip tightened, and Elsa turned to her sister, leaning down to rest her forehead against Anna's. Silent, but comforted by each other.

"We never did give the two of you much of a chance at a normal relationship, did we?"

"Maybe not, but I wouldn't change what we have now."

Elsa couldn't suppress a smile at Anna's answer. Her capacity for love and forgiveness was _astounding,_ and so very humbling.

"Nor would I."

Perhaps things would have been different if they hadn't been seperated. Perhaps not. But what Elsa knew was that being with Anna made her _happy._

"Alright."

Confused, the two of them pulled apart enough to turn eyes to their mother.

"Alright?"

"I... I'm done fighting you two on this. I don't want to _see _it. And you are still going to have to face up to your responsibilities to the royal line some day. But I lost over three years... I don't want to spend the rest of my life fighting with my daughters."

Their mother looked _tired, _Elsa noticed, seeming resigned as she turned back, having averted her eyes from their intimate position.

"Are you serious? You're not gonna dodge us and yell anymore?"

There was something very childlike in the way Anna asked, like she was a small girl frightened to be in trouble. Iduna sighed, but turned a surprisingly gentle expression to the two of them.

"I can't promise I'm going to find it easy, or that I won't need time. But... I don't want to waste _more_ time fighting."

Elsa nodded. They were already very discreet around others, though there was a degree of physical contact between the sisters that most people expected, their closeness attributed to making up for lost time.

"That seems very reasonable."

Their mother let out a short laugh, which was a surprising sound given the tense mood.

"That sounds like something your father would have said, when he got his way but didn't want to appear too smug about it."

Anna giggled at her side.

"I remember! He used to say that to me when I asked for ice cream after he beat me at chess."

In that moment, Elsa felt a weight lift from them. The three women were just... there, a family, remembering the one they'd all lost. Iduna approached them slowly, almost as though she wasn't sure she wanted to.

But she hugged them both even though the sisters were still holding hands, and Elsa heard Anna choke up a little as the three embraced. It was still strange standing taller than her mother, feeling Iduna's hair tickle under her chin. Her eyes were wet when she withdrew, casting her eyes back to Elsa's portrait.

"I think you should re-do the coronation."

"You do?"

"Yes. And not just because I missed the first one. He never doubted you were capable, and your father would never have wanted you to remember such a proud day so sadly. And from what I've heard, it would be nice to have such an event without that wretched Southern prince involved."

That was a _very _good point. Elsa hadn't even thought of how they could make the whole event Hans-free.

"I suppose that's settled then. It will take a while to arrange such an event" Elsa winced inwardly at all the _planning _that would need doing "but I think it will be better than the first."

Given how she'd almost _killed _Anna right after the last one, Elsa was pretty sure it couldn't go any worse. But she tried not to dwell on that, and focused instead on the first steps to truly rebuilding a relationship with their mother.

-IEA-

**Baby steps, Elsa. Baby steps.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Been watching a lot of Frozen/Frozen 2 and feeling the incest shipping vibe. Which we all do, or y'all wouldn't be here.**

-IEA-

Watching Elsa's confidence on a horse bloom each week was one of Anna's favourite things. So many of Elsa's lessons had been cut short by the decision to hide her powers, because she was so afraid to touch anything or anyone. So dance class and horse riding and a handful of other things became open to Elsa again once she finally freed herself of fear, and Anna was honoured and ecstatic to be able to help.

Seeing Elsa in riding breeches didn't hurt either.

"You're doing so great! I'm so proud of you Elsa."

Dipping her head with a soft smile, Elsa fixed Anna with those beautiful blue eyes of hers.

"Thank you."

They couldn't spend too long out there that morning - Elsa was super busy, and Anna knew she had really worked to make the time for their morning together. So Anna didn't pout about it when Elsa had to leave to take a bath, though she _really _wished she could have joined her sister in said bath. Alas, Anna had to make do with her own bath, washing sweat and stable dust off before she re-dressed in time for Olaf to appear outside her room, eager to show her what he and the little snow peeps from her birthday had been up to.

"Elsa gave us some snow to play in! We made the cutest castle!"

It was no architectural marvel, but then only Olaf actually had _hands _to work the snow with, so Anna congratulated them on the effort with all her trademark enthusiasm. The snow peeps fussed around her, jumping and squeaking until she leant down so they could scramble and climb up to her shoulders.

"Anna, what _are _you doing?"

"Playing in the snow?"

"In the ballroom?"

"Well, mother, where else would you suggest?"

Anna straightened up, Olaf at her side jumping to try and reach the peeps. It was still weird for her to look at Iduna, her breath catching in her chest every time her mother caught her off guard. And Anna knew she couldn't blame it on some kind of anxiety. Not when the feeling lingered, not when she felt warmth bloom somewhere under her ribs whenever her mother smiled, or when the light caught her just right.

That was something that _had _been unique to Elsa. So Anna knew she couldn't quite doubt what it meant, but felt sure that it was a brief, passing thing. A strange response to the emotional ups and downs of their rebuilding relationship.

_(Hadn't Elsa said the same of **them,** once?)_

Shaking her head to clear it, Anna apologised to the dislodged snow creature as Olaf caught it.

"I think it's lunch time!"

If anyone around thought her exit a little too quick, Anna didn't stay long enough to find out. Elsa wasn't at lunch yet when Anna got there, though it was only _just _lunch time, and it wasn't too long since they finished riding and went for baths. Anna debated going to get her, but decided against it - Elsa _had _said she was busy - and then decided if Elsa didn't show up, she'd take lunch _to_ her.

Which was how Anna ended up outside Elsa's study, balancing a plate and cup as she tried to knock the door without spilling anything. Maybe she needed to learn how to carry trays like the staff did...

"Come in."

Anna managed to use her elbow to turn the handle, and let herself in. Elsa looked up, offering Anna a warm smile.

"What's this?"

"Lunch! You weren't at lunch, so I brought it to you. I know you're busy, but you gotta eat right?"

"Indeed. Thank you. I didn't realise the time."

It was still kind of early. Anna might have rushed to finish eating, but it was definitely _not _to avoid questions from Kristoff about why she was acting funny.

Not one bit.

"Are you alright?"

"Me? Fine! Why do you ask?"

Elsa shrugged, shoulders rolling beneath the pale blue fabric of her dress.

"You just seem flustered is all."

"Oh. I might have hurried here."

Letting out a soft laugh, Elsa got up from her desk and circled it to reach Anna, wrapping her cool arms around Anna's warm body.

"I won't waste away."

Returning the hug, Anna pressed her face against Elsa's neck, enjoying the way it cooled her flush.

"I have to make sure!"

Still laughing lightly, Elsa squeezed her gently.

"I appreciate you taking care of me. I promise to return the favour later."

Oh now that was just _unfair. _The honeyed seduction in Elsa's voice came out of nowhere, and left Anna suddenly feeling much warmer and very keen for whatever Elsa was promising with her words.

"Elsaaaaa."

"What?"

They seperated, Elsa's eyes glittering.

"You know what."

Elsa's fingers pressed under her jaw, thumb coming up to trace her lower lip. That small touch was enough to have Anna feeling a bit dizzy. Which, in the back of her mind, felt reassuring in a strange way - whatever was going on with her head and their mother, it wasn't changing anything about how she felt with _Elsa._

"I'll make it up to you later?"

"I'm holding you to it. Anything you need help with?"

"No, your afternoon is your own."

Anna nodded.

"Alright. I was thinking of heading out for a walk around town."

"I hope you enjoy it."

Elsa leant in and kissed her, leaving Anna with a racing heart and a goofy smile.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

Still a bit dazed, Anna left Elsa to eat and work. She went to change her shoes for walking around streets of Arendelle, then asked Olaf if he wanted to come, which he did. His little personal flurry followed them as they headed down the stairs and out of the castle, sunshine greeting them. Anna stopped for a minute to soak it in - she loved her winter wonder of a sister, of course, but she liked the sunshine too.

"Where are we going?"

"Not sure. Just for a walk, see what happens or if anyone needs help."

Leaping up to grab her hand, Olaf began to charge ahead, dragging Anna behind her.

"Let's go!"

Laughing, Anna let herself be dragged off by the excited snowman. She loved to look at him sometimes, to know that one of the first things Elsa did when she felt 'free' to use her powers again was rebuild the snowman that the sisters had built as children.

They spent their afternoon entertaining children, who liked to put their hands in Olaf's personal snowfall and giggle as the flakes melted on their skin, and then Anna spent a couple of hours helping out at a store before she decided it was time to head back in time for dinner. Keeping busy definitely helped keep her mind off of the mornings confusion, though it didn't quite distract from her memory of Elsa's earlier words...

Elsa was already at dinner when Anna got there, smiling brightly up at her.

"I was beginning to worry."

Anna smiled in return, plating up some dinner before she sat in her customary next-to-Elsa seat, having already laid eyes on the chocolate ice cream that was waiting for her afterwards. It made her feel fluttery when she thought of how Elsa always had chocolate something for Anna, that she used her powers to keep it waiting... they were small things, sure, but they were sweet and made Anna smile.

"I'm fine, just lost track of time."

Between her small, dainty bites, Elsa asked about her day, Kristoff and Sven complained about having to clean up the snow when Olaf abandoned it, and Olaf raved about how popular his little snow cloud was. Their mother mostly listened in quietly, but she finished a decent portion of food and didn't look uncomfortable with the company, which were both good things and a marked shift from early days. She even had room for a little ice cream too. Not as much as Anna or even Elsa - chocolate ice cream was one of Elsa's favourites too, though she did eat it a little more dignified than Anna.

"Have you tried on your crown yet?"

Anna asked as she and Elsa strolled through the gardens, hand in hand and unbothered by anybody while dinner settled and the sky grew darker above them.

"No. I've been putting off putting my hair up like that again."

She knew how Elsa hated many of the memories of her coronation, and couldn't blame her. Anna glanced around, making sure nobody was within hearing distance as she stopped and wrapped her arms around her sister.

"If you wanted to do that later, I'll be happy to help make you feel better."

Elsa quirked an eyebrow, hands resting on Anna's lower back.

"Is that so?"

Part of her really wanted to see Elsa wearing it - it was beautifully crafted - but Anna also didn't want her sisters only memories of wearing a crown to be _bad _all the way to her new coronation. Elsa sighed, lowered her head to press her lips to Anna's hair. Anna's belly fluttered pleasantly.

"Alright."

Elsa murmured softly, and Anna squeezed her gently in return.

"That's settled then. Want to keep walking first though? It's a nice night."

The queen nodded, and they resumed their hand-holding stroll through the gardens, looking at the flowers that had drooped slightly for the night but would bloom again when the sunshine returned in the morning.

They shared warm drinks with everyone first, and it was the first time Iduna joined them - Kristoff, Sven and Olaf alongside the sisters - for their bi-weekly group nights in the library. As Elsa often worked in the evenings, such nights were pre-arranged and occasionally cancelled, but they were wonderful times. Sometimes they played games, others they just sat and talked and laughed. And, with their mother there too, it was a proper _family _night again, no longer missing one. She was quiet, but Anna saw her smile, heard her laugh at the boys antics, and felt that strange warmth bloom in her chest all over again.

In the interests of making it easier on Elsa, Anna was the one to do her hair. Not that brushing Elsa's hair was a hardship by any means. The soft white-blonde strands ran through her fingers like silk, and Elsa made _lovely _sounds when Anna scratched lightly at her scalp, the tension in her shoulders easing ever so slightly.

"You'll definitely need to get a hair cut before your coronation, or your hair will be in your eyes."

Anna commented as she seperated her hair out, the hair that had been only half-way down Elsa's forehead now brushing the top of her brow. Fixing Elsa's hair this way was something Anna had learned from watching their mother prepare for the day as a girl, as Iduna had worn her hair that way for years. Elsa frowned at her reflection as soon as Anna had finished pinning her hair into place, moving her hands down to rub her thumbs over Elsa's cheeks.

"For what it's worth, this style reminds me of when you told me I look beautiful and I got all flustered. Right away, you had such an effect on me."

Elsa closed her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips.

"I remember now. I don't think I can remember when I'd last smiled and _meant_ it before then, but you made me smile so easily."

Anna beamed, thrilled to have been able to do that even as she felt sad that Elsa hadn't smiled for so long. She'd just have to keep making Elsa smile _more _to make up for it.

"May I?"

She gestured at the crown, resting upon a cushion. Elsa nodded, standing up as Anna moved before bowing her head so Anna could reach. Anna placed it down as gently as she could, letting it settle in place as Elsa raised her head again. She looked absolutely beautiful, and part of Anna really found her regal posture and the _presence _of the queen in her crown a bit of a turn on...

Elsa let out a deep breath before she turned to the mirror, looking at herself critically before returning to look at Anna.

"Well?"

"Does it fit?"

"It does."

"Mmm. Good. That's... good."

Elsa cocked her head slightly as she observed Anna.

"Are you alright?"

"Mhmm. You look... good."

A slight smirk curled over Elsa's mouth, clearly cottoning on to what was going on in Anna's mind. Anna _had _promised to make Elsa feel better about the hair thing, and Elsa had promised... _something _earlier...

Elsa leant down and kissed her, cool thumb brushing over Anna's flushed cheek. Anna looped her arms up around Elsa's neck, which felt different without her braid hanging down to brush against her arm. That thought soon faded as Elsa backed her up toward their bed, mattress pressing to the back of her legs before Anna reluctantly let go of Elsa's mouth long enough to scramble up on to the bed. Elsa followed her, her knees between Anna's legs, the skirts of Anna's dress bunched up between their hips as Elsa leant down to kiss her again.

While she missed being able to bury her fingers in Elsa's hair, being kissed like that with Elsa's weight on top of her was more than enough to have Anna squirming, moaning weakly against Elsa's mouth, hands scrabbling for purchase against her sisters dress or the rumpled sheets beneath them.

"Are you going to be like this every time I put on my crown?"

"Hopefully... though it would make your coronation a little awkward if I just tackle you to the ground while everyone is clapping."

Shaking her head with a fond smile, Elsa kissed the tip of Anna's nose before kissing her properly again, one hand supporting her weight while the other managed to find its way beneath Anna's rucked up clothes. Anna managed to guide her clumsy hands that way too, helping Elsa to tug down her bottoms. Though there was lots to be said for bare skin, for feeling every inch of Elsa she could against her body, Anna was still maddeningly aroused by the idea Elsa just couldn't _wait _that long to touch her.

Cool fingers curved to the shape of her, Elsa's fingers cold against hot, slick skin and Anna shuddered with the answering heat that rolled through her. Elsa's lips ran over her neck until she found Anna's pulse, kissing the skin over where it raced and sending tingles down her spine. Twitching and gasping, Anna felt near-delirious already, Elsa's effect on her _so_ powerful it was little wonder she was so very hooked on the way her sister made her feel. She clenched around Elsa's fingers as they slipped inside her, knowing touch finding its way to spots that made her shake.

It wasn't Elsa's fingers that sent her toppling over the edge. Well, not _just _her fingers...

It was her voice, the way Elsa breathed her name against Anna's ear.

"Oh, Anna..."

How could anyone resist their name said so intimately, so erotically? Certainly not Anna, breathless moans she hastily muffled against Elsa's neck escaping her as she climaxed, Elsa's thumb pressing in firm circles as her fingers crooked up, drawing out the heady pleasure that left Anna a flushed, grinning puddle upon the bed. She felt a few secondary tremors as Elsa pulled her fingers out, holding Anna's gaze as she licked Anna off of them with a frankly _indecent _expression on her face.

"I gotta get out of this dress, too hot."

Elsa giggled, nodding.

"Could probably do with a wash too."

Anna joined in the giggles, Elsa wiping her hand off on the fabric of her now-soiled dress before helping her out of it. Her breath came in sharp gasps when Elsa's cool hands touched heated skin, mewling softly as they kissed, tasting herself on Elsa's tongue. Her sister did not take much persuasion to switch positions, humming against her mouth when Anna's weight pressed against her.

"My turn. Dress, off."

As she laid on her back, it took little more than a wave of her hand before Elsa's dress melted away. There was something completely disarming about Elsa like that, almost naked and utterly enticing with her hair so proper, crown sparkling in the candlelight.

"Show off."

Elsa's laugh, warm and genuine, rang in Anna's ears and it was such a delightful sound she couldn't help but kiss her.

* * *

Iduna didn't know how she'd managed to fall asleep. Carriage rides up steep mountains weren't exactly a relaxing lullaby. And yet, she stirred to wakefulness, so she _must _have fallen asleep. When she opened her eyes and looked across to where they sat opposite, it turned out she wasn't the only one; Anna's head was resting on Elsa's shoulder, and her younger daughters eyes were closed. Elsa was gazing out of the window, but when Iduna moved, Elsa's eyes turned to her. She offered a gentle smile to her mother, which Iduna returned.

As she sat up properly, Iduna realised there was a blanket over her. It wasn't one she recognised, pale blue and soft as freshly fallen snow. She ran her fingers along the material, half-expecting it to melt at her touch..

"Did you make this?"

"I did. I know you get cold more easily, and the North Mountain gets a little brisk."

They were on their way up to the North Mountain, where Elsa had fled to when her powers were revealed. Iduna wanted to see the creation Anna spoke so highly of, wanted to see what really happened when Elsa felt free to use her powers again. No holding back, no fear. That was worth a chill and a long carriage ride.

Elsa's eyes were on Anna again, a soft smile on her face as Anna snored lightly on her shoulder.

"Where are the others?"

"Olaf, Kristoff and Sven? Making their own way with his sled, but it can be a bumpy ride and I wasn't sure all of us would fit anyway, so we're taking the carriage."

Given the incessant chattering Olaf was prone to, Iduna was quietly relieved not to be sharing an almost full-day trip with him. As intriguing as Elsa's ability to create _life _out of snow was, it didn't stop Iduna getting headaches. Or finding the way Olaf randomly detached his body parts a little disturbing.

Her fingers brushed over the soft blanket again, marvelling at how soft it was. How _warm _it was too, since Elsa had made it with her wintery magic. When she looked up, Elsa was watching her.

"What?"

"Nothing. You just looked... surprised about something."

"Oh. I was admiring this. The things your magic can do... I'm sorry we stifled you for so long."

"You were trying to protect me. Your methods were flawed, but your hearts were in the right place."

Elsa had spoken of Anna's incredible capacity for forgiveness before, but just then Iduna was struck by how forgiving _Elsa _was being - they'd made her a prisoner, taught her to fear herself so completely and then disappeared before there was ever an answer.

And still, Elsa forgave her. Anna, too. And despite the difficulties she had with it, they'd been patient, respectful and discreet about their... _relationship_ so Iduna could feel more comfortable around them.

"Is it much further?"

"A couple more hours. Go back to sleep if you like."

"I think I need to stop for a moment soon and relieve myself."

Elsa nodded in understanding, and signalled to their carriage driver to find a good place to stop. After she'd done so, and Elsa provided some water for her to clean her hands in - with her powers, water was _never _in short supply around Elsa - Iduna waited for the carriage to take off again before she began picking at the food they'd brought along for the trip. Anna slept for quite a while longer before she woke, hungry and impatient to reach the mountain.

"Don't forget about Marshmallow mother, he's not going to hurt you but he is pretty big and kinda scary looking."

Anna commented in between bites of sandwich, reminding her of the... guardian? of Elsa's Ice Palace. She took the warning on board, opted to nap for the rest of the journey and pulled the blanket Elsa made tighter to herself. She dozed on and off, woken sharply by Anna's exclamation of "we're here!" followed by the sound of the carriage door rattling. A little stiff from the journey, Iduna winced as she made to get up. Elsa waited, holding a hand to help Iduna out of the carriage.

"Thank you."

Elsa smiled, then turned away. Iduna followed her eyeline, looking up and gasping in awe.

"You _built _that?"

"I did. I never knew what I was capable of until I came out here."

It was... indescribable. _Huge, _shining in shades of blue and purple and sparkling in the sun that hadn't yet gone down.

"You made it!"

"Olaf, you were right alongside us, you know we did."

Elsa led them, first up a staircase that joined one part of the mountain to the next. Despite the fact it was made of ice, their shoes didn't slip as they climbed up, their weight showing no strain. Then there was another staircase that led right the way up to the front door of the huge, glittering palace.

_Elsa made this. _

"Wait til you see inside. It's _so_ beautiful!"

Anna enthused, and out of the corner of her eye, Iduna saw Kristoff hang back, grabbing hold of Olaf.

"Olaf, Sven, let's give them a minute. It's their mothers first time here, after all."

"But-"

"No buts!"

She heard Elsa thank Kristoff before they headed up, Elsa gesturing for Iduna to go first.

"This one can be a little steep, I don't want you to fall."

Glad stairs were no longer so difficult for her, Iduna gripped the railing with her gloved hand, other hand lifting the skirt of her dress high enough to let her climb the stairs unheeded. The double doors alone were enormous, dwarfing all of them.

A small laugh bubbled up in her throat - Elsa had _definitely _inherited her father's habit of going just a little over the top.

As soon as the three of them reached the top of the staircase, the doors creaked open of their own accord, giving Iduna her first look inside. The first thing she saw was a frozen fountain in the centre of the floor, behind it another ornate staircase that curved around half the room. And the room was so _high, _a little jewel-like centrepiece hanging from the middle of a huge snowflake patterned in the ceiling.

The ice in there, it turned out, was not quite as non-slippery as outside. Slender arms caught Iduna before she could do more than stumble, Elsa murmuring an apology as she straightened up.

"I forgot. Here."

A wiggle of her fingers later, both Iduna and Anna sported shoes made of ice just like hers, though Iduna's heel was much smaller and flatter. They fit her perfectly.

"Now you won't slip over."

"I was stood right here, right?"

Anna asked, standing at the base of the staircase.

"Yes. I was so happy to see you... and then I was scared I'd hurt you again, and I had to get you to leave. But you were _so _stubborn."

Anna giggled, pressing her face against Elsa's shoulder as the two sisters hugged. Iduna felt a little like she was intruding.

"Well, duh. Besides, I was right. You _do_ belong in Arendelle."

Elsa gave her sister an indulgent smile, hummed lightly.

"I belong with you."

It was soft, not meant for her ears and Iduna pretended not to hear it. After a minute, Anna cleared her throat audibly.

"Shall we head up the stairs?"

"Sounds good. It's a bit of a climb, will you manage mother?"

"I'll be fine."

It _was _quite a climb, which wasn't that surprising given how damned tall the palace was. But the palace was a part of Elsa, and every inch of it was beautiful. Iduna felt enchanted simply being there. Up and up and _up, _eventually they came out in another huge room, where they came across...

"Oh!"

She wasn't sure what she was expecting. The snow guardian was _enormous, _and it felt like her daughters had undersold his size.

"_That'_s Marshmallow?"

"Yep. Hey Elsa, what's that on his head?"

Elsa squinted, before breaking out laughing.

"So _that's _where that got to."

"He's wearing your crown! Well, your old crown."

Anna joined in her sisters mirth, and while still stunned by the size of him, Iduna felt a smile steal across her face at the ludicrous situation. The name belied his size, and he did look... threatening. When Anna said he'd been made to chase them out, she could picture it.

But Elsa _made _him, and that was astounding. Creating Olaf hadn't been a fluke - here was another self-aware, living snow creature. Though Iduna could see why he stayed in the palace, rather than come down to Arendelle. He wasn't exactly small. There wasn't an entrance to Arendelle castle that he'd fit through. And for all she knew, he needed to stay cold too - Olaf's little snow flurry was manageable. Marshmallow might have needed his own personal _blizzard._

"I can't believe you did all this."

"I wasn't sure I was going to fix it, after Hans and Weselton's men smashed some of it up, but since I knew I was leaving Marshmallow here, I fixed the broken parts. Besides, I didn't want it to look like it did when I almost died here."

"You... they.. what?"

Elsa pointed up to the ceiling, where an incredible ice chandelier hung above them, and talked Iduna through the moments where her palace was damaged. She got the feeling Elsa left some things out, but honestly Iduna was glad. Her heart could only take so much.

"C'mere. Come see the view."

Anna gestured, all three heading out to the (very very high!) balcony. She was glad for the railing, the sheer drop below making her knees weak. Both of her daughters gripped her arms firmly, stabilising her.

"Don't look down, look out there. It's incredible."

It was, a truly breathtaking view of endless mountains, the sun sinking in the sky to leave a myriad of colours behind, framing the snow-capped peaks before her. The mountain Elsa chose was highest of them all, but it didn't detract from the view at all.

"Can we see Arendelle from here?"

"Not from this spot, but on a clear day you can see it from the mountain. I think maybe when I built this, I didn't want to think about Arendelle."

Iduna looked between her daughters. Anna's cheeks were pink with the chill, Elsa's eyes bright despite the fading light. She shivered slightly, the air _cold_ so high up in a palace made of ice. Neither daughter hesitated, moved closer and each wrapped an arm around her. Something indefinable swelled in her chest, warming her from the inside out.

"Better?"

Elsa asked, voice so gentle it was almost lost to the mountain air. Iduna nodded.

"Better."

-IEA-

**Hope everyone is staying safe out there, whether that be in self-quarantine or out at protests. Take care of yourselves.**


	16. Chapter 16

**It took me a couple of days to really get started with this because whenever I thought about it, my brain was just giving me plans for the sequel (as in, the Frozen 2 rewrite) instead of this. Can't really write a sequel til the first is finished.**

-IEA-

"If you ever speak to me that way again, I _will_ turn you in to an ice sculpture and leave you in the courtyard as a warning to everyone else to _never _get on my bad side. Do I make myself clear?"

Anna frowned. Elsa sounded _maaaaad. _But then, the snowflakes at the window had been what sent Anna to find her sister to begin with.

"Y-yes Your Majesty!"

One of her council members - though perhaps not any more? - scrambled out of the room, almost running in to Anna in his haste before he rushed away. He didn't apologise, and Anna debated telling Elsa but supposed that would push her firmly in the direction of turning him in to a sparkly courtyard decoration. The door was still open, but Anna gave it a cursory rap with her knuckles.

"What!?"

Elsa wasn't facing the door, so Anna didn't take the small amount of yelling personally.

"Hey, it's me. What's going on?"

Elsa whipped round, and tension melted from her frame at the sight of Anna.

"Oh. Anna. Come on in. Close the door please?"

Anna complied, and crossed over to Elsa, gripping her hand and pointing to the window.

"It's snowing outside, so I figured something was up."

"Oh, just that I have incompetent fools working for me. And one in particular who is trying to talk me out of a few things he doesn't agree with. And let slip a little 'these are decisions for _men _to make'."

"Oooooh. You should have turned him in to ice."

_That _made Elsa laugh. Anna beamed, seeing the snow outside slow, and when Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist and stretched up to kiss her, the snow was gone completely when they parted.

"Thank you."

"You are always welcome to kisses. From me. I suppose you could ask other people for some, you _are _the Queen. I doubt many would say no. Actually, I doubt they would anyway, you're so beautiful!"

The smile that her words brought to Elsa's face made Anna's heart skip several beats, Elsa's pale cheeks flushing prettily.

"You're always so sweet to me. But personally, I think _you_" Elsa tapped a finger on the tip of Anna's nose "are beautifuller."

Anna broke out giggling, remembering how flustered she was by Elsa right away, unsure when it was Elsa... _grew up_ quite so much. It was incredible.

"So, I was gonna bring this up later but then it started snowing so I came to check in. I spent the morning at the school doing reading hour with mother, and the kids reminded me it was high time we had an ice skating day."

Elsa smiled, nodding slowly.

"It certainly is. I've just been so busy, with the trade back on with Weselton and all the planning for my new Coronation... but it's definitely time we all had some fun. Especially in this awfully hot weather."

"Oh yeah, you're not such a fan of summer."

"I have my own personal sunshine all year round" Elsa kissed her softly "but there's no point denying I am obviously built for the winter months."

Glowing with Elsa's words, Anna couldn't fight a dorky smile as Elsa's thumb stroked her cheek.

"Well, I was thinking maybe before we do the whole town, you could turn a room here in the castle into ice so mother can have a try. The doctor said there's no reason she can't learn stuff like riding horses or ice skating, since she managed the trip to the Ice Palace and _alllll _those stairs with no problems. He said she's basically as healthy and recovered as she's gonna get, but that if she gets sick or hurts herself, expect her to take a little longer to recover from _that._"

"So mother had a check up _and _made it for reading hour?"

Anna nodded.

"Yep!"

"That's very good. She's certainly looking much healthier, and Alice has stopped fussing about leaving space to 'fill out' in her dresses."

Anna nodded, feeling that damned warmth bloom under her ribs again. Because _healthier_ wasn't the word her mind often conjured when looking at Iduna, and Anna was starting to think maybe she ought to talk about that with Elsa, as dealing with it herself had gotten her absolutely nowhere. Other than confused.

"Yeah. Doctor said to give it a couple more months before she starts wearing corsets again though, to make sure she doesn't get out of breath."

She was very glad Elsa's cool touch was still on her face, as it helped combat the rising warmth that shouldn't have been rising at all when she thought of... shaking _those _thoughts off before they went anywhere, Anna stretched up and kissed Elsa again.

"So... ice skating?"

"Ice skating. I have more paperwork and a few meetings this week, but I can set aside an hour in the evenings to see if mother wishes to practice, or join in at all, and I am free for Sunday afternoon if you wish to let everyone know there will be ice."

Anna smiled.

"What about ice cream?"

"Well, I suppose we could make a day of it. _If _the kitchens can manage it. Otherwise, we can ask the villagers to bring their own sweetened cream and milk and I can always freeze that.."

"Always good to have a use for the hundreds of bowls we have in storage for almost no use whatsoever."

"Well, they'll be out for the Coronation, and then of course the Solstice."

Anna rolled her eyes.

"You mean your _birthday?_"

"If you must be technical about it."

Frowning, Anna tried not to push. Elsa hadn't felt like there was much to celebrate for over ten years, losing the childish joy of parties and presents in the enforced isolation of her teenage years. They _had_ celebrated last year, but that was early days for them. Anna knew that year would be even better, and she was going to make it the absolute best birthday Elsa ever had! At least until the next year, and the year after that, and the year after that...

"Should I leave you to finish your work?"

"Much as I love your company, it may be for the best, if I hope to finish it before evening."

Elsa actually looked a little like she was pouting. It was adorable.

"Well alright then. You have my blessing to turn that guy into ice if he's rude to you again. Nobody speaks down to _my _sister and gets away with it."

Giggling, Elsa pulled Anna closer and kissed her forehead.

"It's very sweet of you to be so incensed on my behalf."

"Always. I better go before your desk gets suspiciously messy. Again..."

They shared smiles and kisses before Anna reluctantly left the Queen to her work. It was almost lunchtime, but she'd seen the plate of food that had already been brought to Elsa - obviously, she expected to work through lunch and requested the meal be brought.

"No Elsa for lunch?"

Their mother enquired, and Anna shook her head.

"No, she's got a lot of work. But she had food brought to her, I checked."

Seeming happy to hear it, Iduna nodded and went back to her meal. She wasn't wearing gloves any longer, Anna noticed. Though if they ever went back up to the mountains, she imagined they'd come back out then. Mountains got pretty chilly.

"So, plans for the afternoon?"

Kristoff asked in between mouthfuls of meat, though he _had _stopped speaking with his mouth full in the last few months, as he knew it upset Iduna.

"Sewing practice. I've missed a few sessions."

"Would you mind if I joined you? It's been quite a while since I did any needlework."

Anna blinked, then shook her head.

"No. I mean, yes! By all means, come along. Tilda yells sometimes though, fair warning. She swears it's all out of love for the craft... but she does always have snacks! Her wife works in the kitchens."

As they both sat fumbling to thread their needles - though she'd been quite accomplished before her absence, Anna knew her mother was still regaining some of her very fine dexterity - Anna reflected on the nostalgia of the moment. Sewing was the sort of thing she'd watched her mother do as a girl, eager to try for herself, marvelling at how those seemingly endless, repetitive motions eventually stopped and a pretty dress or little doll for Anna was the end result.

"What are you smiling about?"

Anna blinked, not realising she'd just been sat there grinning at her mother like an idiot.

"Just getting to spend time with you like this. Reminds me of when I was younger."

Though it wasn't as perfectly neat and straight as it had been before, her mother still appeared to have some of her past talent for it, and got yelled at by Tilda less than Anna did. Anna was improving, but she occasionally got distracted and somehow got her thread all knotted or stabbed herself in the finger. It wasn't as though Anna _needed _such... _wifely _skills, since she had no real intentions of getting married. Kristoff _had_ jokingly offered to do the deed if she ever needed a fake husband for cover - his support of she and Elsa was so, so wonderful.

Anna noticed that Iduna seemed a little melancholy when they were done, confused by her mothers down mood.

"Mother? Is something wrong?"

She asked once they were alone in Anna's room - she and Elsa spent most of their nights in Elsa's room, as it meant there was never a question of where to find the Queen - so Anna could change her shoes for house slippers. With a sigh, her mother sat down on her bed.

"When you said it reminded you of your younger days, I suppose it made me a little sad. You won't have those sort of moments if you never get married, no children of your own. And with Elsa possibly _unable _anyway, who will succeed her?"

"Huh. Hadn't thought about that. What would happen if... something happened to Elsa, and she wasn't married and had no heir?"

Anna suppressed an ache at the thought of there being no Elsa, actually curious about the answer.

"Well, the crown would pass to you. If you were to have a child, it would pass to them. Failing that, I don't actually know. Agnarr's father was an only child, and as his mother _supposedly_ ran out on the royal duties, I doubt any of her line would be eligible even if I knew more."

She frowned. Anna had heard those rumours, of course, though her father had always been rather quiet about his own mother, and it had always seemed rude to push when the story was that she'd abandoned him.

"What do you mean, supposedly?"

Iduna blinked.

"Oh. Nothing, nothing. I never even met her."

"Really? Didn't you know the royal family growing up in Arendelle?"

"I didn't actually grow up in Arendelle, so no. I met your father when he was already King of Arendelle. I always knew where he snuck off to to read his storybooks, hiding from Kai."

Anna shuffled closer, listening more intently. These were times her mother had never mentioned before; obviously, they'd asked about their parents meeting and falling in love, but that had obviously all come when they were closer to adulthood than childhood. Her own childhood had always been 'for another time', or 'when they were older'.

Well, Anna _was _older now...

"So you were an outside marriage?"

"I suppose, though it wasn't arranged. Just... luck, I suppose. But that's enough of a trip down memory lane, we should go and meet your sister for dinner."

Her mother had a good point, although Anna felt like she was being dismissed from a conversation Iduna simply did not want to have. So Anna dropped it.

"Good point. Shall we?"

So used to walking that way with Elsa, Anna thought little of grabbing her mothers hand as she began to head off, until she felt resistance on the other end and found the woman looking at her oddly. She felt oddly warm, and dropped her mothers hand quickly.

"Sorry. Force of habit. Let's go!"

Anna left the room before she could make things any _more _awkward, trying to ignore the lingering warmth and phantom pressure of a hand smaller and rougher than Elsa's against her own. All those years in gloves had kept Elsa's hands fairly soft and smooth, while their mother had spent years fending for herself against nature. It made sense.

Her heart still leapt when she laid eyes upon Elsa, who was rubbing her temples and groaning over a plate she hadn't even filled yet.

"If I have to read one more page of trade negotiations, my eyes will roll right out of my head and set up an independent kingdom where reading is a crime."

Giggling at the Queen's choice of words, Anna kissed her cheek before taking her seat at Elsa's side. They were in front of too many people for her to do more, but it made Elsa smile, and that was what mattered.

"Well, you have no more reading to do tonight. Promise."

"Wine, Your Majesty?"

"By all the gods, yes, please."

Elsa thanked the staff as drinks were poured for each of them around the table - they served the Queen first, of course - and Elsa took a large sip before she rose to go and fill her plate with dinner. Everybody followed suit, and Anna relaxed into the familiarity of family dinner, castle staff chatting away nearby at their own table. She liked it that way; Anna's years alone would have been even lonelier without some of the more indulgent staff being so sweet on her, and it was nice to not feel seperated from that just because everything was better now.

Their mother was still quiet though, Anna noticed as she picked at some fruit for dessert before excusing herself early. Elsa looked to Anna curiously, who simply shrugged. It was certainly nothing they'd be discussing in front of others anyway. Elsa was one thing, but nobody else needed to hear it.

As Anna pondered the small but significant words of earlier, walking alongside Elsa in the hallway, she saw the flickering of firelight under a door to one of the sitting rooms. Kristoff had headed out to hang out with Oaken - despite the _frosty_ start to their relationship, the two men got on brilliantly now - and taken Olaf with him, because Oaken also thought Olaf was hilarious. So the only person it could have been...

Anna pressed a finger to her lips in Elsa's direction, crept a little closer and eased the door open a few inches. Just to check. With her back to the door and a purple scarf wrapped around her shoulders, their mother seemed to be... singing? To herself. Too softly for Anna to make out the words over the crackling of fire, but something about the melody stirred old memories for her.

"Mother? Are you alright?"

Elsa's voice drifted into the room, seeming to surprise their mother.

"Oh. Yes. Fine."

She didn't _look _fine. She looked like she'd been _crying._

Pushing the door shut behind them, the two sisters crossed over to Iduna, who sniffled and tried to subtly wipe her eyes.

"Mother?"

"Honestly, I'm..." she trailed off, drew in a deep breath "would you girls just... sit with me, for a while?"

"Of course."

Elsa sat first, drawing their mother to her side. Anna shuffled in on her other side, so she was surrounded by awesome hugs. After so many nights spent in Elsa's arms, it was certainly a little different to have someone in the middle.

And while it was meant to just be for _comfort, _Anna couldn't quite silence the part of her brain that said she wouldn't mind it happening more.

-IEA-

**I have too much fun writing Anna, she's such a sweet, chaotic bean.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Since I've had a few sarcastic remarks to this effect by now, I figure I'll set straight a bunch of misogynists that assume all writers must be female, and believe that 'woman' is an insult. I'm an AMAB non binary person. Not a woman. But I'm also not real mad cus like, there's much worse things to be than female. Like a massive bell end.**

-IEA-

"I have a crush on our mother. No, I can't say that. Orrrr can I?"

Anna paced back and forth, thinking to herself. She was assured of her solitude for the moment, as Elsa was in a meeting, their mother had gone to rest in her bedroom, and Kristoff, Sven and Olaf were out making sure everyone knew about the upcoming ice skating Elsa had promised. Arendelle _loved_ an ice skating day.

Sure, some staff could have come by, but the door was closed and Anna was talking pretty quietly to herself. So she continued to pace, trying to figure out what to say to Elsa. How did one go about telling their sister-lover such a thing? Falling for Elsa didn't seem like something she could draw on, as that had happened in a different - and _mutual _\- way. Anna knew her flutters for their mother were not to be reciprocated, and accepted that, but she still felt like she should tell Elsa. In the interests of honesty and all.

But how the heck was she meant to actually _tell _her?

And Anna was also still worrying about their mother, because Iduna hadn't told them what had her emotional before, just sat cuddled up with them for a while and then she went to bed. Anna supposed if they hadn't been worried about that, it would have been a great time for her to confess her feelings to Elsa. But she hadn't, and so now she paced. Although, it did take her mind off her body's monthly ritual of a cramping tummy, so at least that was good.

Giving up on pacing, Anna flopped down dramatically on her bed and groaned into her pillow. It smelled like Elsa, which made her smile when she thought of her sister laid there, watching Anna rifle through her wardrobe probably. Elsa did _so_ like to see her in various states of undress...

Aaaand she was turned on again. That happened a lot. Anna suspected she'd be having a _loooong_ bath by herself later.

Several minutes of having her face pressed into the pillow gave Anna no further answers to her personal questions, and she was craving chocolate. So, with a deep and dramatic sigh nobody was around to hear, Anna got up, fixed her rumpled hair, and went to go see if the kitchen staff had anything to soothe her.

"Good afternoon Princess Anna. Did you need something?"

"Nothing in particular, but I thought I'd see if there was any chocolate around."

There were stifled laughs hidden behind hands - Anna's love of chocolate was known throughout the entirety of Arendelle. And probably beyond, as visitors from other places had seen her get a little too excited about sweet treats.

"You know we always try to keep something sweet around for the Queen and the Princess."

Anna was absolutely delighted when they presented her with chocolate cake, grinning around her mouthful when they let her sit down to eat it there and then. The richness and sugar helped to soothe both her cravings and her anxiety, and by the time someone was discreetly handing Anna something to wipe her face with, she felt _much _better. Brushing a couple of crumbs off her dress, Anna stood, thanked the staff and headed back out of the kitchens.

As she wandered the halls, pleasantly buzzed on chocolate, Anna heard her sisters voice and gravitated toward it, heart fluttering in her chest when she saw Elsa bidding those she'd just finished meeting with a good evening. Elsa gestured for Anna to come over, a few of the men passing greeting Anna pleasantly. Elsa's cool fingers slipped through Anna's as soon as she was in reach, and Anna peered into the meeting room behind her sister.

"Empty?"

Elsa nodded, and once nobody was looking they disappeared in, door closed behind them. Anna kissed her just because. Well, she did really like Elsa's current formal attire. Her sister _really _suited buttoned shirts, and the dark blue miltiary-style jacket was clearly a nod to their father that Elsa had begun wearing more often. And Elsa always looked good in trousers. And boots.

Anna wondered if she was noticeably drooling. Elsa licked her lips, humming curiously.

"Have you been eating chocolate?"

"You know how I get this time of the month. Tilda's very lovely wife gave me chocolate cake."

Elsa laughed lightly, hand resting against the small of Anna's back.

"Anna, you love chocolate every day of the month."

Grinning up at her sister, Anna shrugged.

"Yes, but I needed it! It was really good, and I left them with my compliments."

"I would give them mine" Elsa pecked another kiss on her lips "but I'd have to explain where I tried it."

Elsa kissed her properly, and left Anna flushed and squirming. Knowing how Anna was so easy to fluster for a few days each month, Elsa was visibly amused by the effect she'd had upon her sister. Elsa's magical body didn't bother with things like a menstrual cycle. She was _usually_ sympathetic to Anna's plight, but also did get a little laugh out of how pretty much _everything_ could turn Anna on.

"I'm going to go and change my clothes, and then see if mother is joining us for dinner."

"Why change?"

Anna asked, since the clothes weren't inappropriate for dinner.

"Well, you wanted to skate after dinner. While I am quite confident on the ice, I wouldn't want to fall over in these clothes. Nor would I want to risk spilling dinner down this shirt, actually."

Well, that was fair enough.

"I'll go check on mother if you like?"

If she watched Elsa undress, they were both going to be _very _late for dinner. So when Elsa nodded, they kissed before parting ways. Anna headed off toward their mothers room, listening for sounds of movement before she rapped her knuckles against the wood, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping. Her mothers voice sounded through the door.

"Who is it?"

"Me. Uh. Anna!"

"Come in, Anna."

Iduna invited, and so Anna opened the door and let herself in. She found her mother sat in front of her mirror, pulling a brush gently through her hair. It had grown quite a bit in the weeks since the dead parts were cut away, and was looking very thick and healthy.

"Did you need something?"

Realising she was sort of staring, Anna blinked a few times and tried to remember to speak.

"Oh. Elsa wanted to know if you'd be joining us for dinner. I think she wanted to know if you'd need food sending up."

She met her mothers gaze in the mirror, saw her thinking. And there was still a little of that residual sadness she hadn't explained, which brought back Anna's worries for her.

"I will be down for dinner. My hair got a little tangled while I took a nap, so I have to make myself presentable first."

Anna wasn't sure what possessed her to ask, but she did it anyway.

"Can I brush your hair for you?"

Iduna's hand stilled, and Anna saw her raise her eyebrows in the mirror. There was a lingering silence that made Anna begin to worry she'd said something wrong.

"If you like."

She said eventually, and held the brush up to Anna. Anna took it, hands a little shaky. It was the sort of thing she and Elsa did all the time before, and still did now they were lovers. Did that make doing this with her mother weird? Or was Anna _making_ it weird by worrying? She pulled the brush through her mothers hair, doing her best not to lose her concentration and yank or tug at a hidden knot.

When she was done - and couldn't guiltily draw it out any longer - Anna took a step back, turning the brush over in her hands.

"Ok, all done."

Iduna smiled softly as she stood, and when she turned to face Anna a little of the light from her window caught her _just _right, and she looked _so_ beautiful Anna couldn't breathe. She could have wept for the unfairness of it as she fought to not give away the strangeness going on inside her head, and had to turn away just to catch her breath again.

She _definitely_ needed to tell Elsa, even if she had to write a note and shove it under her door like they were kids again.

* * *

As they approached the room often used by she and Anna for practice ice skating, Elsa glanced back at their mother. Iduna was adamant she wasn't going to 'get' it, but she came along all the same.

"There's nobody here but us. If you don't like it, you can stop, but at least give it a try."

Anna brought up the rear, and Elsa had strong suspicions something was bothering her younger sister, but as Anna hadn't brought it up, Elsa wasn't going to ask in front of their mother. They'd left Kristoff, Olaf and Sven behind so Iduna wouldn't feel too keenly observed, and after checking whether the three women needed anything, the staff were all dismissed too.

"Are you ready?"

Anna perked up at Elsa's words, and gave her a sweet little smile.

"Do the magic, do the magic!"

Elsa shook off the old memories - she was in control now, and Anna was safe. Lifting the skirt of her dress a little, Elsa stamped her foot down on the floor of the ballroom. Ice spread out from the tip of her shoe, covering from corner to corner. A wave of her fingers conjured a couple of little benches for resting on around the edges of the room, and another turned shoes to skates.

"Take all the time you need."

She reassured Iduna, while Anna got up and started skating solo, which had taken her quite a while to get the hang of, and she still stumbled now and then but insisted she was having fun while she did. Elsa waited, holding her hand out to her mother. It took two hands to pull her to her feet, and she stumbled straight into Elsa when she was upright. And _wow,_ she was warm. If she noticed how cold Elsa's hands were, she didn't say anything, just mumbled an apology into Elsa's chest for falling over while Elsa tried not to get distracted by the feel of her body heat.

"It's fine. You'll get the hang of it. Ready?"

Elsa could skate _very _well - unsurprisingly, she was a natural on the ice - and so guiding her mother while staying on her feet as she moved backwards was little issue. For all her usual grace, Iduna was best described as clumsy as she tried to get the hang of balancing on the skates.

For a while, it was very much a stop-start-stumble-stop cycle, but Elsa maintained her patience. Anna had taken a while to learn, just as Elsa had taken a while to really get the hang of riding a horse or ballroom dancing.

"Don't feel bad mother, it took Elsa _and _Olaf to keep me upright the first time I tried. You're already better than I was!"

Anna encouraged as she skated past, and her praise did seem to land well as it brought a smile to their mothers face.

"Are my hands too cold?"

Elsa asked as Iduna gripped them tighter, but she shook her head.

"Oh, no. I suppose I've gotten used to the cold."

That was very similar to something Anna had said to her once, but in a _very _different situation, and Elsa had to fight to try and prevent her mind wandering. It didn't really help any that, with her mother so close to her face as they moved over the ice, Elsa kept noticing just how many features she shared with Anna. As her mother gained weight and regained her health, all those similarities had only grown more noticeable. All the sun she'd gotten while stranded out on that island had left her with a smattering of freckles much like Anna, and her cheeks grew rounder when she smiled. Sometimes she wrinkled her nose the same way Anna did, and her eyelashes brushed the tops of her cheeks when she blinked. She sometimes sucked her bottom lip between her teeth when she was thinking...

"Elsa, are you alright?"

Her mothers voice intruded on Elsa's thoughts, and the strange flutter in her chest did not abate when Elsa left her little reverie. Dismissing all thoughts of her mothers mouth - something she shouldn't have been thinking about anyway! - from her mind, Elsa nodded.

"Fine, fine. Ready to try on your own?"

"Oh. I suppose."

Swallowing thickly, Elsa let go of her mothers hands.

"I'll be ready to catch you if you fall."

The smile Iduna gave her was almost... _shy, _though Elsa was sure that wasn't the intention behind it. But it did little for the strange warmth in her chest, especially when Anna came over and made that resemblance _so _very apparent.

"What's up?"

"Oh. Nothing. Mother is just trying it out alone."

It took her a minute or two, but once she managed to not fall flat on her face, Iduna's confidence visibly grew and she was soon gliding along the ice with far less of the clumsiness she'd demonstrated earlier. She managed to turn and skate back toward Elsa, but it transpired she hadn't quite mastered how to _stop, _and so Elsa's body served as her brakes. Her hands went to Iduna's hips without really thinking, trying to brace the woman so they didn't both fall to the icy floor.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to crash in to you!"

Iduna apologised, and Elsa was quick to assure her there was no harm done. Anything to get her mother to _move,_ because she felt increasingly awkward holding her mother by the waist and wasn't sure how to pull her hands back in a way that seemed much more casual than she felt. Thankfully, Iduna straightened up, and went back to her practice skating.

"You're a natural. Are you sure you've not been on the ice before mother?"

Elsa assumed she didn't hear Anna's question, as there was no answer from their mother as she continued around the ice. She managed to slow herself down enough to stop by pressing her hands to the wall as she reached the edge that time, and stumble-stepped in her skates to the nearest bench a minute later.

"I'm a little tired, I don't think I'm used to such exertion. Would you mind if I retired for the evening now?"

"Of course. Why not go to the door and I'll change back your shoes?"

Once that was done, Iduna took her leave. Anna came to Elsa's side, looking up at her sister.

"Do you think mother is alright? She still hasn't told us what she was upset about the other night."

"I know. But I assume she'll tell us when she's ready. And skating can be taxing, especially when you're out of practice. You remember how sore you were the next day the first few times?"

Anna nodded, chuckling.

"Yeah. I did overdo it a bit, because I didn't want to stop when it meant you holding my hands and catching me."

Elsa let out a laugh, because that was so very _Anna_ to do.

"Well, you know you don't need any excuse for that."

"No, but it was still fun. Want to skate some more?"

They spent a little more time twirling around the ice, but they had mainly been there so Iduna could practice, and she'd gone to bed by then.

"I'm going to take a bath before bed, my stomach hurts."

Elsa didn't ask to join her, knowing Anna preferred to bathe alone when menstruating.

"Do you want a hot water bottle waiting?"

Anna nodded gratefully as Elsa waved her hands over the frozen floor, the ice disappearing at her will to leave no trace behind. With both their shoes returned to normal too, they separated so Anna could go and have her bath prepared, and Elsa to fetch some chocolate and fruit to go with the hot water bottle. She knew what Anna liked when it was that time of the month, and it was largely sugar, hot baths and hot water bottles for bed. They were all things she'd learned recently, having never had to deal with such a thing from her own body.

Elsa was changed for bed, the bottle under the covers warming the sheets while she waited for Anna to join her for the night. The sweet treats waited on the bedside table, and Elsa flicked through a few bits of correspondence she needed to answer the next day, formulating responses in her head in an attempt to not think about the strange thoughts of earlier. It wasn't really working.

_Should I tell Anna? _Elsa mused when she accepted that those thoughts weren't going away. How did one even go about saying such a thing? What was it she was even thinking and feeling?

"Oh, you're too good to me!"

Anna had returned from her bath, and clearly noticed the plate of treats awaiting her immediately. Elsa looked up, smiling at the sight of her. She had clearly tied her hair up out of the way to keep it dry, but let it down and brushed it out before she came back to Elsa, and so it fell down over her shoulders and back in soft waves. Even in her simple nightdress, Anna was utterly lovely to look upon. Elsa pulled the bottle out from under the covers before Anna inadvertently sat on it, and her sister was soon happily munching away on chocolate and holding the bottle to her stomach. Elsa watched her quite contently for the moment.

Once she'd eaten her fill and washed chocolate residue down with some water, Anna seemed to grow more serious, shuffling down to a more comfortable position on the bed, clutching the bottle a little tighter and not quite meeting Elsa's eye.

"I uh... I need to talk to you about something."

"Oh?"

Elsa sat up a little straighter, wondering if now was a good time to prepare her own confession, even if she wasn't totally sure _what _she was going to confess to, her thoughts still jumbled and uncertain.

"Yeah. I... wow, I'm not really sure how to say this. Ok. Just gotta go for it. I think I might have a crush on our mother. There. I said it! Go ahead, call me weird or crazy or whatever!"

Anna had screwed her eyes shut and turned away, body clearly tensed for some kind of attack. When nothing but silence was forthcoming, she turned back and cracked one eye open just a bit, as though checking Elsa was actually still _there._

"Elsa? Did you hear what I just said?"

Taking a deep breath, Elsa nodded. She understood why Anna looked away - it was easier to say when not looking directly at her sister.

"I think... you may not be alone in that.

-IEA-

**Elsa's still a little new to the mom-crush, but if Anna's gonna bring it up... what is a confused ice queen to do?**


	18. Chapter 18

**The cats out of the bag now girls. Where can this be going...**

-IEA-

Iduna looked around in surprise. Though she knew everyone knew, and that in theory they accepted it, it was still quite something to see the villagers actively applauding as Elsa displayed her powers openly. The entire royal courtyard was full of Arendellian citizens, the gates wide open and the ice that Elsa created to spread across the ground ended just at the gates. Just beyond the ice were tables groaning under the weight of bowls and bowls of frozen treats, and a gentle snowfall fell from the sky overhead to keep everything chilled.

She wasn't especially confident on skates herself, but ice skating was now something Arendelle _did, _and Iduna lived in Arendelle. Plus, it was a celebration of Elsa's magic, really, and after the years of helping teach her young daughter to fear them, she owed Elsa.

"Come on Sven, we gotta skate!"

The reindeer snorted, but dutifully followed the talking snowman out on to the ice. Reindeer were good in snow, but that didn't make them natural ice skaters. Olaf was _made _of ice, so he had something of an advantage. Elsa was a natural, and Anna had obviously been practicing. After a few minutes of most of Arendelle either eating ice cream or gliding happily across the ice, her daughters came to a stop near where Iduna was hiding at the side.

"What's wrong?"

"I'd rather not fall flat on my face in front of the whole of Arendelle."

Elsa laughed softly.

"You wouldn't be the only one, we usually end the day with at least three or four falls. No serious injuries though. But if you don't want to skate, you can always go and get some ice cream instead."

Iduna felt a little silly by herself, surrounded mostly by children clamouring for tasty little treats, but it wasn't long before the lure of chocolate ice cream summoned Anna over too.

"What did you get?"

"Oh. Strawberry. You got your taste for chocolate from your father, not me. Though I do enjoy it."

Anna laughed as she scooped chopped nuts into her bowl.

"Yeah. I remember sometimes people would give you gifts of really fancy chocolates, and you would have two or three and father would just eat the rest."

Iduna felt a smile cross her face, finding conversations about Agnarr far less painful than they used to be. It was nice to just be able to reminisce with her daughters about him.

"Indeed. I grew up with a far less refined diet than he, so fruit was _my _idea of a sweet treat. When your father first courted me, he was very bad at hiding his amusement when I was confused by so many new foods."

Anna stifled a giggle poorly in her hand, then tried to cover it up by stuffing a huge spoon of ice cream in her mouth. They finished their bowls in short order, and Anna encouraged her back toward the ice. Elsa wasn't immediately visible, but they quickly spotted her off to one side, making little toys for the children of Arendelle out of ice and snow. There were lots of smiles and joyful squeals as she dispensed little snow-fluffy teddy bears and dolls and, rather oddly, a snow-creation in the shape of a fish.

"Won't they melt?"

"Not if Elsa doesn't want them to. If everything she made melted, her castle wouldn't still be standing. And her clothes could disappear at random..."

Anna trailed off, and Iduna did not ask where her mind had gone to.

"Yes, I suppose that's true."

"Come on, the ice won't bite. You did great in practice with Elsa the other day."

Something strange passed over Anna's face, but it was gone before Iduna decided whether or not to ask what was wrong with her daughter. Feeling incredibly self-conscious, Iduna let herself be cajoled on to the ice in skates again. She expected everyone to be staring, waiting for her to fall flat on her face. But when she looked around, everybody else was focused on having their own fun, parents chasing their tearaway child or teenagers twirling with those they were courting. Nobody was watching Iduna's slightly inelegant trailing around the ice.

Well, nobody except Anna and Elsa, but both gave her gentle smiles that she supposed were meant to be encouraging. Then Anna was taking herself off to be at Elsa's side, Elsa's smile widening as she turned to look at Anna. A peculiar feeling rolled over Iduna, almost like... jealousy? She shook it off, sure it was simply a pang of loneliness - with her physical recovery done with and life at the castle ticking over with her a part of it now, Iduna had a lot more time to miss her lost husband. Of course she was lonely.

The memories of her daughters holding her refused to quite go away though. Of course, she'd hugged her daughters more than two times, but the time at Elsa's icy palace was a very clear, unique memory. As was the time she'd actively sought out comfort from her girls while plagued with the memories of her earlier loss, of her old life before Agnarr and Arendelle. She didn't like to dwell on it, as it mostly made her sad, but Iduna also never wanted to _forget. _She still remembered the song her mother sang to her, her voice echoing in her mind on nights when Iduna struggled to fall asleep, or when she looked at her daughters and saw the passing resemblance.

Iduna shook away her maudlin thoughts and focused back on the ice, finally relaxing enough to not feel as though everybody was staring until she realised she was actually having fun alongside everybody else, and it was _nice _to be simply joining in on what had effectively become all of Arendelle's favoured hobby.

Elsa and Anna were skating together, often holding hands but nobody gave it a second glance - they were mindful of how intimate they were in front of others, but it was clear everybody expected and accepted a level of physical contact and closeness from the sisters in public.

Iduna found herself wondering how many suspected the truth. She knew some of the staff knew - they _had _to. She remembered the way several had tried to dissuade her from finding her daughters that first night back, as they had clearly known what Iduna may have interrupted. And there were a few unwritten rules that would have otherwise been quite peculiar, such as always knocking before they entered any room they thought the sisters might be alone in, and not even the cleaning staff allowed in Elsa or Anna's bedrooms without permission. Those who washed their clothes must have seen both sisters garments come from the same room, or noticed how only one bath was drawn most nights.

But the secret was obviously kept quite safe, as the relationship being truly public knowledge would have brought noticeable consequences. Iduna supposed it spoke to how beloved the royals were, because Elsa took such amazing care of her people. Even used her powers for things as playful and indulgent as ice skating and ice cream, making toys for the children and crafting pretty shapes out of thin air just to delight.

The afternoon wound itself down as people began to tire and head home for meals and rest and to warm up again, filtering away until Elsa waved a hand to remove the ice and fallen snow from the ground. All except the snowman Anna and Olaf had built, of course. Elsa was sat watching them, smiling softly and only looking up to thank the various staff members taking empty bowls and tables back inside, Kristoff helping them while Sven had left for his stables to sleep after so much excitement.

Rising from where she'd been sat smoothing out her snowman, Anna brushed snow from the skirts of her dress before she headed over to Elsa. Elsa shuffled along a little on her bench to make space, and wrapped an arm around Anna the moment her sister leant in to her side, the two sharing a smile. Iduna made her way over - they respected her wish not to see _more, _but she was fine seeing them simply cuddle.

"Have a good day Anna?"

"The best! I love skating days. I love seeing how happy everyone is around your magic, and how happy it makes you, and I also really love ice cream!"

Elsa laughed lightly at Anna, who was still somehow brimming with energy despite a few hours of exertion and the sky darkening rapidly overhead. As Iduna approached, both her daughters offered bright, beaming smiles to her.

"How about you mother? Did you enjoy your first ice day?"

"I did, and more than I expected to. However, I do wish to go and warm up a little now."

Elsa nodded.

"Of course. Dinner will be served in about an hour, so you could always take a bath beforehand."

Agreeing that sounded like a good idea, she headed inside and asked for her bath to be drawn. Heated water chased away any lingering chills, and while she wanted to put on her nightclothes after, Iduna refused to attend a meal improperly dressed. Anna clearly had no such compunctions, as she attended dinner in a nightdress Iduna was fairly sure Elsa had made for her, with the soft, glittering white details that looked like a dusting of snowflakes had just landed on her. Elsa was still dressed as she had been before, but Elsa could take off and put on clothes with a wave of her hand. Opting not to think of what those two had been up to in the hour before dinner, Iduna took her seat.

Dinner was followed by 'family night', where four humans, a magical talking snowman and a reindeer gathered in one of the libraries together. Initially feeling rather out of place there, Iduna had come to enjoy them, look forward to them even. She wasn't quite as invested in the games, but they talked and drank and laughed and it was a simple, lovely time. Iduna was even getting used to Olaf, though his personality was still a little effervescent for her liking but he seemed to understand and _tried _to tone it down. Mostly.

A few of those strange pangs struck her occasionally when Elsa and Anna were particularly close that evening, but Iduna brushed them off. She had no real reason to feel so lonely, surrounded by what was now her family. Though, with his portraits hanging throughout the castle, Iduna supposed it was understandable that she feel lonely without her husband. The black shroud still hung over the portrait of herself and her husband, and she'd insisted it stay that way out of respect for Agnarr.

Thinking of portraits led to her thinking about Elsa, who was sipping from a glass of wine while Anna and Kristoff seemed to be having some kind of mime-off while Olaf cheered.

"Have you set a date for your re-coronation yet?"

Elsa blinked in surprise at the sudden question, but otherwise took it in stride.

"I have a couple of prospective dates. As the first one was scheduled with my coming of age well known in advance, it was expected that everyone _else _schedule it in to their diaries around me. As this is a re-do, _I _have to be mindful not to set a date an important ally cannot make, lest anyone feel slighted. It wouldn't do to go through all this and upset anybody Arendelle relies on as an ally. I've drafted some letters to those most important, to ask which of the dates would suit them best, and go with whichever suits the majority. But it ought to be sometime this autumn. I'd have scheduled it closer to my birthday in order to reduce the number of parties I have to hold" Elsa rolled her eyes, and Iduna stifled a laugh at how her daughter was _still_ not fond of being center of attention "but it would be too tricky a journey when some of the oceans are frozen solid. And I think some sunshine would reassure those still wary of my magic."

"Perhaps you should host some smaller get-togethers between then and now. It would help to maintain good relations with anyone who might not be able to make the day, as well as help you get used to hosting as you will have to do it throughout your reign."

Tapping her fingers delicately against her glass, Elsa nodded. Before she could answer, Anna dropped down next to her, almost upsetting the glass Elsa held. Elsa was obviously used to such behaviour from Anna though, and gripped the glass tighter in response.

"Are you guys talking work? Boooo."

Giggling, Elsa smiled indulgently at her sister.

"Mother asked if I'd set a date for my new coronation, that's all."

"Oh. I guess that's not so bad. Did I hear parties mentioned?"

Elsa relayed Iduna's suggestion, and Anna considered it for a moment.

"What about an end of summer party? Invite some of the people who are only a couple of days away, have some summer fun with Arendelle out in the square then back here for dinner and dancing with the people you're hosting? Gives you a chance to show off a little magic in a fun way and show off how well you're doing as Queen _before_ you announce intentions of re-doing the Coronation, all while giving everyone the chance to put on a fancy outfit and drink too much, which is usually how royalty makes friends."

Listening intently, Elsa nodded.

"I really like that idea. I'll make a start on that tomorrow, there's not much of summer left after all."

Anna beamed.

"Happy to help! It's getting kinda late, so I'm thinking hot chocolate and bed?"

Everybody else agreed, and they wound down with warm drinks before everybody parted company for the evening. Seeing Elsa so relaxed despite the talk of things she didn't enjoy, like big events and being the centre of focus, and knowing that was mostly thanks to Anna and her unique way of keeping Elsa calm and happy seemed to have shifted something for Iduna. As she watched her daughters leave for bed after bidding her a good night, seeing their joined hands and knowing they were both headed for the same bed...

Iduna found she didn't actually _mind _as much as she expected to, as though the inevitability of it had finally settled in her mind and the energy of fighting against it was just no longer worth exerting. She wasn't quite _happy _about it, but she was sure that was just as inevitable in the future.

-IEA-

**I'm not _certain, _but the timeline might be a little wonky. Elsa's Coronation was summer, and Anna's birthday in Frozen Fever had a very spring-time vibe (to go with Olaf's Frozen Adventure being winter, and Frozen 2 being autumn), but was apparently the summer solstice, so I've been working with Anna's birthday being a couple months early (her birthday is actually June, but June is summer...) than it actually was. I'll try to keep it straight from now on, but as I was date checking some stuff while writing I realised there were some inconsistencies, and since I know how readers like to point those out...**

**I'm aware, but I'm not going to go back and re-write parts of fic _and _alter my plans for the future over it. I'll just try not to let them happen again.**


	19. Chapter 19

**I know I'm unreliable, and I appreciate everyone who's sticking with this fic. I've had a lot of trouble _wanting _to write these last couple of chapters, cus honestly the temptation to skip the rest of the slowburn, release their first threesome chapter (which is already written) and move on to the sequel fic (the Frozen 2 rewrite) is strong. But, here we are.  
**

-IEA-

The summer party had been _her _idea, of course, but that didn't mean Anna was not allowed to pout a bit about Elsa being busy. Pouting was better than actually distracting her very important sister, right?

"What are you sulking about?"

"I'm not sulking!"

Anna defended as her mother shifted the skirt of her dress, moving it around her legs so it didn't bunch up beneath her as she sat down on the sofa opposite Anna. It was a very pretty dress, Anna definitely did _not _notice.

Ever since she and Elsa had admitted they both had some... wayward attraction toward their mother, it had become much easier to deal with now she had someone to talk to, but it also made it more real, and harder to ignore at times.

"Yes you are."

Resolutely wiping the pout off her face, Anna crossed her arms.

"I am not. I'm just thinking about what to do with my day because Elsa's busy planning the party I suggested. I did offer to help but there wasn't much for me to do right now."

"You don't usually mope doing nothing. Why not go out for a walk?"

"Cus Kristoff and Olaf are busy gallivanting and I don't want to go alone."

Anna sighed dramatically, looking out of the window rather than get that weird feeling in her chest at how very pretty her mother looked in the sunlight streaming in. She was just thinking about heading out to see if any of the stores in Arendelle needed help for the day, rather than pout around the castle, when her mother spoke again.

"If you like, I'll go with you. I was just thinking it's a nice day for a stroll."

If Anna was honest, that sounded like a _terrible _idea, since she was trying to ignore her attractions. But, she reasoned with herself, she couldn't avoid her mother forever, and Anna doubted she could come up with a convincing reason for saying no.

Telling the truth was _obviously _out of the question.

"Alright, sure. Do you need to change, or shall we get ready to leave now?"

Iduna hummed to herself, looking down at her clothes.

"I think I shall change my shoes, I'm very fond of these and don't want to get them dirty outside. I will meet you in the courtyard?"

"Sure. I'm gonna go let Elsa know, so she doesn't worry if we end up gone a while."

Plus, Elsa was going to be the only person who'd understand why Anna was slightly panicked about the prospect of a gentle stroll about town. Sighing deeply once she was a couple of corridors away, Anna shook her head a little before straightening up and heading toward Elsa's office. She tapped out the now-familiar knock, idly wondering how she hadn't left marks in the doors of Elsa's bedroom with how regularly she'd done so when they were girls, and felt that same little warm relief when Elsa's voice answered.

"Come in."

With a little ink smudged on her hands and a soft smile on her face, Elsa looked up from her desk where a stack of papers awaited her attention. Anna closed the door behind her, feeling her whole body relax a little bit just at the sight of that smile.

"Everything alright Anna?"

"Yeah. Just came to let you know mother and I are off out on a walk around the square. So you don't go looking and worry we've disappeared."

Elsa nodded slowly, looking Anna over.

"I hope you have a nice day. Are you going to be... alright?"

She asked carefully, though they were quite alone. Elsa was rising from her desk, standing tall to meet Anna as she approached. Her arms went around Elsa instinctively, though Elsa kept her hands to herself rather than risk getting ink on Anna's dress.

"I'm only a little nervous... but I couldn't figure out how to say no after she asked why I was sulking, and I said I wasn't sure what to do. I can hardly say 'sorry mother, I'm a bit uncomfortable cus I have a crush on you' now, can I?"

Elsa let out a small laugh.

"No, not really. But I'm sure it will all be fine. Just relax and enjoy your afternoon, and I will see you at dinner."

Her sister leant in and kissed her sweetly, cool lips against Anna's own both soothing her and making her heart beat a little quicker. Letting out a slightly ragged breath when they parted, Anna enjoyed the light flush that had risen to Elsa's cheeks. Staying there was very tempting, but as she'd already agreed, their mother was going to be waiting for her.

"I better go."

"Indeed. Enjoy your afternoon."

Anna headed outside after grabbing her jacket in case the afternoon cooled down on them, and found Iduna standing in the courtyard waiting for her. Their mother was definitely much quicker on her feet than she had been before.

"Ready to go, Anna?"

"Yep!"

As they walked through the open gates, Anna smiled to herself like she did every single time, just enjoying that they were _open _again. It seemed Iduna was thinking along similar lines.

"It's still strange for me to walk through the gates, you know. I'm quite used to it now, but after so many years seeing them closed..."

"Yeah. I still feel happy to see them open. I like the open gates."

Elsa had held to her word - though the gates were occasionally closed when it was windy out, to stop rubbish from the square blowing into the castle courtyard, and they were closed for cleaning, they were always just opened again right after. Anna still felt so _free _seeing it. As they crossed the bridge, people greeted them warmly, bouyed by the pleasant weather and politely enquiring about the upcoming party.

"Are you excited, mother?"

"Yes, I am. I'm not as easily tired as I was for the earlier celebrations, so I will be able to enjoy it all the more."

"That's good. I'm so happy you're all better now. You had us worried there for a while."

Her mother smiled at her, and Anna wished it didn't make her flutter a little. It was all she could do not to reach and take her mothers hand, too used to walking with Elsa or Olaf, both of whom she'd link hands with for strolls. Elsa she held hands with just because, but with Olaf sometimes for fun and sometimes to stop him wandering off into trouble. Which was only sometimes effective, as he could just wander off leaving that one stick-hand behind.

"Yoo-hoo! Princess Anna!"

Anna turned at the sound of her name, and grinned at the familiar sight of Oaken, enormous and imposing until his face split into a warm, welcoming smile. He gave a little bow in Anna's direction, then realised who was with her and hastened to give similar treatment to the mother of the Queen.

"How are things Oaken? Business going well?"

"Oh yes! Very well!"

He enthused about some of the things Elsa had asked him to make for the upcoming party, knowing that anything he would say to Elsa, he could tell Anna. Not that Anna was _always _a reliable messenger, being a touch scatterbrained when she was overexcited. Being out with her mother didn't quite make her _excited, _but it definitely took up valuable space in her head that new information couldn't really get in to.

And then he had some new things to show them, offering little tasty treats he and his husband had been testing out making for their various family celebrations - Oaken hadn't lived in the Arendelle mountains his entire life, but he and his husband had suffered some ill treatment over their relationship, so they'd upped and moved away with their adopted children. They were more than welcome in Arendelle, where same-sex marriage was perfectly accepted and Oaken's family were a beloved part of the kingdom, and highly useful to any who wanted to traverse the mountains.

"How are they, mother?"

Anna asked, having had to look away lest she be caught staring at Iduna licking dusting sugar from her lips. Her mouth was too much like Elsa's for Anna's already tenuous sanity, it seemed, and it did nothing to help her inappropriate feelings.

"Very nice. Very sweet."

"Mmm. These are really good Oaken."

"Ja, thank you! I will pass on your compliments to my husband!"

He clapped, adorably flamboyant despite his imposing size. They turned down offers to take some more of his sweet treats home, since they weren't done walking and didn't want to carry them, but promised to visit him again soon for more. Anna dropped in to chat with some of the stores she helped out in, and though some were a little flustered by Iduna's appearance as she ventured into the town square less often, they were cordial and polite and Anna watched her mother be quiet but pleasant in return.

Despite her early reservations (and the occasional wandering of her mind...), Anna was happy to find she'd had fun with her mother that afternoon, and regretted avoiding being alone with her at times. They headed back when the square began to quiet as many headed home to start preparing for dinner, and Anna was surprised by her mother leaning against her as they crossed the bridge on their way back to the castle.

"What is it?"

Iduna cleared her throat, blinking twice before she pulled away. Anna wasn't sure if she was relieved or disappointed.

"Oh. Nothing. I just... nothing. I must go and change out of these shoes, I'll meet you at dinner."

Bemused, Anna watched her mother move with a speed she'd not been capable of a couple of months ago to get away from her. It stung a little, if she was honest, after she'd just been thinking how they'd had a nice day together. Sighing, Anna headed for Elsa's study, hoping to catch her alone before dinner. She just about made it, finding Elsa placing paperweights on her stacks of work, arranged in order of importance for when she returned.

"Anna? I was just heading down for dinner."

As Anna often came to check if Elsa was overworking/missing the meal, she supposed it made sense that was what Elsa was expecting. Closing the door behind her, Anna moved closer. Elsa opened her arms silently, folding Anna into an embrace.

"Everything alright?"

Anna shrugged, then elaborated on the strange happenings that had prompted her to seek Elsa out.

"We'd been having such a nice day, and then it all went weird right at the end."

Elsa hummed, rubbing small circles on Anna's back to relax her.

"Perhaps she's so used to seeing us be so affectionate, she was following our lead without thinking it through much. And when you drew attention, she felt self-conscious that she was copying the two of us, who are... _closer _to each other than we are with her?"

"Maybe. I've seen her look at father's portraits sometimes. Maybe she's just lonely."

"Perhaps. I'm sure mother will figure it out for herself. Until then, maybe we just make an effort to be a little more affectionate with her. In an _appropriate _way."

Anna couldn't help but giggle, hearing Elsa's slightly chiding tone.

"What do you think I'd do?"

"Nothing on purpose, but I know you forget yourself at times. Still, I was really just jesting. Shall we head down to dinner?"?

As they parted, Elsa slipped her fingers through Anna's and squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"Yeah, good idea."

-IEA-

**Yeah, it's short and not a lot happened, you don't gotta tell me. Next chapter will be better but I couldn't get any of the important things in to this one. Hopefully the next chapter won't take three months either...**


	20. Chapter 20

**I have Elsanna on the brain and a heavy metal cover of "I'm So Excited" (if you know, you know) on my playlist. Let's see what happens!**

-IEA-

Iduna stretched, watching the water ripple and slosh up against the sides of the tub. The water was starting to cool, and she needed to get out and dress herself. Elsa's little 'end of summer' party was the next day, and so a few of the guests had already arrived to spend the night in Arendelle (all part of Elsa's smoothing things out, for any who couldn't make the re-do of her coronation in a couple of months time). Some had come a fair distance, and left a bit early in case of unfavourable conditions, or arrived early because of _favourable_ conditions. While it wasn't really Iduna's job to do anything in particular, there were some in attendance she hadn't seen in a while, and who (like everyone else) had believed her dead for three years.

She sighed and ensured no soap lingered anywhere before climbing out of the tub, reaching for a towel and giving her body a cursory once-over as she dried off. The alarmingly thin stage was thankfully long gone, though Iduna still felt a little... delicate when undressed. Perhaps that was due to what had happened... shaking _those _thoughts away, she slipped on her fresh underlayers before leaving the bathroom. They clung a bit on missed water, but that would dry and nobody would notice once her dress was on. Feeling much less vulnerable with her soft jumper and ankle-length dress on, she sat to put on her shoes. Truthfuly, she appreciated being _able _to dress herself without getting tired, still aware of the time after her return when she was so frail even simple tasks left her winded.

Still... she was alive and, all things considered, _well._ Alice knocked at the door and waited to be invited in, coming to check on Iduna's hair and nails - after years of being broken and dirty, and her body being undernourished, her nails were a little brittle and needed care. Her hair had recovered quite well though, and Alice soon had her looking as well groomed as could be. A light coat of make-up brightened her features more, and Iduna actually half-recognised herself in the mirror for once. There was no doubt her time fighting to survive had aged her, but she no longer looked sickly, and she could no longer see her bones jut out through two or three layers of fabric.

"I suppose that will have to suffice."

"Oh don't be daft, you look absolutely lovely Iduna. Now come on, time for you to go and mingle with the masses."

Rolling her eyes, Iduna straightened up, brushing a few creases out of her dress before she left her room. Her dress was one of a few gifted to her by Elsa - while she was regaining weight, they'd not bothered to have too many made as it was a waste of fabric, but now she was more or less back to her old size, Elsa had gotten Alice to take her measurements and commissioned several lovely gowns and frocks, some for every day and others for special events. Today's one was one that seemed inspired by Anna's birthday, varying shades of green and yellow, but a little more muted and reserved. Not like the bright and colourful ensembles Anna enjoyed (and could pull off much better than Iduna could).

"Hi Miss Iduna!"

She was, at long last, entirely used to (if still slightly bewildered by) the talking snowman, Olaf. He was tottering around the hallways, and seemed to be looking for something.

"Hello Olaf. Are you alright?"

"Yeah! Having a great day! There's new people! Some of them don't like me much, but they'll come around. But Kristoff sent me to find Elsa and Anna, cus they're meant to be with the new people and they're not. Do you know where they are?"

Drawing in a deep sigh, Iduna had _some _suspicions what it might have meant for the two to disappear. She just hoped she was wrong and Elsa wasn't shirking important responsibilities for...

"I don't, no, but why don't I help you look?"

If they _were _skiving, she'd definitely be taking them to task about it. Of _all _the times...

"Okay! How about I take this way and you take that one? They can't have gone far!"

Slightly bewildered by the slightly surreal situation she found herself in, Iduna nodded and went left while Olaf went right. On the one hand, if her suspicions were right, she didn't really want to _see _it, but could only imagine how Olaf would have reacted if he saw such a thing.

As she headed along, peering into each door she found after a cursory knock on any she thought were occupied. After disturbing a cleaner catching a nap - Iduna left before they felt the need to apologise, and saw said cleaner hurry away seconds after she cleared the door - Iduna encountered a living room, and was quite sure she heard sounds she'd rather not hear from behind the door. After checking there were no staff nearby, Iduna opened the door.

Sure enough, she found exactly what she'd expected. Averting her eyes somewhat, Iduna slammed the door shut behind her. Opening it hadn't even gotten their attention, but they leapt apart quite quickly at the sound of the door slamming. The temperature in the room dropped immediately.

"Mother!"

Elsa's voice was rough and breathy, and when Iduna turned back she was struggling to pull her dress straight. Of _all_ the times her dress seemed to be made of fabric rather than magic, it was the time (well, the _second time)_ she needed to cover herself up after being caught by Iduna. Anna, while fully dressed, had guilt and heightened arousal written all over her, freckled cheeks redder than her hair.

"You're supposed to be out there, entertaining important visitors. Not... _this!_"

Iduna watched Elsa attempt to pull fabric up over her chest, difficult when she was still panting, flushed and dishevelled. The skirt of her dress was rumpled, creased where Anna had obviously bunched it up.

"I know. I just needed a minute to collect myself and..."

"I came to check on her and we sorta got carried away and forgot we had somewhere else to be."

Anna picked up as Elsa trailed off, and Iduna looked away in the hopes Anna would go and help Elsa straighten herself out.

And honestly, because she felt she'd been looking a little too long herself. It had to be shock that left her following the rapid rise and fall of Elsa's chest, that kept her eyes lingering on Anna's flushed cheeks and swollen lips.

"How on earth did they do this dress up? It came open way easier."

"Anna!"

Iduna chided; she didn't need to _hear _that.

"Sorry."

Anna did not sound the least bit apologetic, but the huffing sounds behind her stopped after a couple of minutes. She dared look around, and found Elsa smoothing the front of her now-righted dress down. Then she lifted her hands to Anna's face, and Iduna prepared to chastise them.

"_Elsa-_"

"I'm cooling her face down. I did it for you, remember?"

Iduna watched Elsa brush her cold thumbs over Anna's cheeks, and the deep flush faded to her usual rosy-cheeked pink, which made her look more composed already. Anna reached to fix Elsa's hair in return, and Iduna fought a strange shiver at the memory of when Elsa had cupped her face so tenderly.

"Alright, guess we should get back to work."

"You two go ahead. I need a minute to... calm down."

Elsa requested, and Iduna supposed she couldn't get into _much _trouble alone, so she nodded and pointedly waited for Anna to reach the door first before following her youngest daughter out. Anna couldn't meet her eye. As she lifted a hand to tuck loose hair behind her ear, Iduna noticed Anna was wearing the bracelet Elsa had gotten her for her birthday.

Her arrival was enough of a distraction that most people didn't realise Elsa wasn't back right away, so Iduna hoped nobody suspected anything and did her best to greet those she hadn't seen, trying to avoid in depth questions about her disappearance and survival. They weren't really _pleasant_ memories.

Elsa rejoined them before long, looking much more composed than Iduna had found her. Her eyes ran over the front of Elsa's dress again, and Iduna told herself she was just checking that Elsa was properly put together again. That was all it was.

* * *

Oh, Elsa _hated _parties. Anna's birthday was one thing, because celebrating Anna's life was an absolutely vital event. But the event of the day was more about buttering up people Elsa didn't particularly _like, _so they wouldn't be offended if the date they couldn't make was chosen for her coronation re-take.

At least the early part of the day was something she could handle - mostly it was just hanging out with the citizens of Arendelle, and it wasn't too far removed from ice-skating days, with the magic and frozen treats and generally upbeat atmosphere around her.

There was still _some _frosty atmosphere, but for once it was aimed _at _Elsa, rather than coming from her. Their mother was still a little upset about catching the two of them the day before. IT really hadn't been intentional, Anna was trying to help Elsa keep her head because she _hated _hosting, and then one thing led to another and they'd pretty much forgotten they had somewhere else to be. It was definitely foolish to have not even locked the door though, and their mother had certainly been right to scold them about that. Elsa should never have been caught avoiding important guests for sex with anyone, even if she'd been wed to a well-chosen husband and caught with _him, _it would have been seen as pretty rude.

Although, Elsa was pleased to note Iduna did appear to be having fun. She'd certainly settled in to events better now she was recovered physically, and was stood talking with Kristoff over bowls of ice cream near the table, occasionally looking down to smile at nearby children. And she looked lovely, wearing a pretty summer dress, soft on her figure and a shade of blue that really brought out her eyes. After yesterdays... incident, Elsa had returned to forming her own clothes. They were much easier to put back on.

The alternative was simply ensuring Anna never tempted her in to ill-advised trysts, but then Elsa had an awfully hard time saying no to her sister...

"Queen Elsa! Queen Elsa!"

Excitable children who'd finally escaped their parents long enough to get close to her soon crowded Elsa when they saw she wasn't talking to any official looking grown ups - the only ones near her were her guards, who mostly just existed to ensure nobody tried to (literally) stab Elsa in the back. She could take care of herself pretty well from the front, what with the ice powers and all.

She indulged them with the usual little gifts made of ice and snow, heart warmed by their innocent, _pure _joy. Children shouldn't have to live in fear, and Elsa was so glad they did not fear her any longer. When Anna sidled up to her side, beaming brightly, Elsa felt her heart grow even warmer at the sight of that beautiful smile.

"Having fun, Anna?"

"Yeah! I love parties, and sunshine, and the open gates! Have you noticed there's some passing traders here?"

"I have. I expected them. They often appear whenever there's a good chance of meeting several different rulers or nobles in one place. Increases their chances of finding someone to work for."

"Ah, good point. Mother seems to be having a good day too."

Anna couldn't say much more, since they were rather closely observed by Elsa's entirely visible guards that day, but she still slipped her hand in Elsa's and stood closer than anyone else was allowed to. Which was lovely all on it's own.

"She does. I'm glad she can enjoy these events more now."

Tiring somewhat of standing up out of the way, Elsa lifted the hem of her dress slightly so it wouldn't catch and made her way down the steps from her little 'stage'. Her guards followed closely, but kept quiet and left Elsa to her mingling in peace, which was all she could ask really. Parties weren't much fun for her, but wandering the streets of Arendelle when everyone was full of joy and Anna was holding her hand? That, Elsa was fine with. At least with her sister there, the whole 'centre of attention' aspect was somewhat diluted, as Anna's infectious, bubbly personality drew people to her like moths to a flame.

Elsa did indulge herself in some ice cream, tasting rich chocolate and sweet strawberry (Anna, of course, had all chocolate), smiling around a mouthful of icy treat when observing their mother sat talking with a couple of visitors over tall glasses of cold drinks with silly decorations like umbrellas that Oaken had made. Anna's idea for the party had of course turned out to be a roaring success, and there was the dinner and drinking and dancing in honour of their visitors themselves later on to round out the day.

As they were moving toward the afternoon, everyone shifting tables out of the castle courtyard so Elsa could craft the necessary platform for ice skating (to showcase her magic wasn't _all _eternal winters and frozen fjords, as well as entertain everyone), the sound of shattering didn't immediately raise her panic, assuming that someone had simply dropped something while moving it. Still, Elsa turned to look out of curiousity, and found a most peculiar sight over by one of the tables still serving snacks on the bridge. The source was Iduna, and Elsa frowned when she saw the posture of her mother, hunched over and shuffling away awkwardly.

Anna was closest, and a pointed look and subtle head twitch had Anna following her eyeline and hastening over to their mother. Elsa quickly made the shift of the ground to get everyone else's attention, and soon enough everyone was merrily sliding across the icy surface on magical skates. Which meant Elsa could cross to the side of the courtyard herself, where Anna was looking _furious, _and their mother was _crying. _Kristoff had noticed too, and because he was wonderfully helpful, he and Sven stood exactly in the way enough to block most people's view of them.

"What's going on?"

Elsa asked quietly, turning to gesture to her guards to stay a respectful distance away. They halted, and Anna managed to remember to keep her voice down.

"Mother said _he's_ here."

Elsa frowned.

"Who?"

Anna gave her a slightly exasperated look, and as Elsa watched her mother shake, her brain finally caught up to what Anna was insinuating. Feeling anger rise up inside her and fighting to keep the ice within at bay, Elsa turned to look over where Iduna had been standing before she dropped her plate.

"Where?"

-IEA-

**I wrote this largely in lieu of getting any sleep whatsoever. Worth it!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Oh boy, some of the reviews I had last chapter... obviously, some of you were lovely. **

**Some not so much. I'll repeat what I said earlier - coercion is not consent. It's not a yes if someone _can't say no._**

-IEA-

As soon as their mother managed to indicate which of them it was, Anna saw how Elsa fought to restrain herself. Nobody else noticed much of the chill with the ice already out, but Anna's next few breaths were visible before Elsa managed to rein herself in a bit.

"Anna, take mother inside. Tell people she's not feeling well and needs a lie down before the dinner this evening."

"Elsa..."

Iduna's weak, shaky voice just about broke Anna's heart. Though she was reluctant to go, Anna managed to get her mother back in the castle, making the excuse a couple of times before they were clear of anybody who wasn't staff. And they all knew better than to ask after one look at Anna's face, so she was able to get her mother back to her room without issue. The sobs that she'd been trying to hold back burst out, and Anna could do little but hold her and try to comfort her, tears soaking into the fabric of her dress.

"Shh, shh. It's ok, you're safe now."

"Sorry, I'm being so silly."

Was eventually forced out between her sobs, but Anna was quick to refute such a ridiculous claim.

"Don't talk nonsense. If you need to cry, go ahead. I won't judge."

Iduna clung so tight to her it was starting to hurt, but Anna wasn't even considering pointing it out - her mother needed her. So she bore it out, waiting for the sobs to slow before she remembered she had a handkerchief in her pocket. It was for in case she got ice cream on herself earlier, but she hadn't, so she offered it to her mother who took it gratefully and mopped her face a little.

"Better?"

"A bit. I think I do need a lie down though, I feel... drained. But I should go back to-"

"No. Elsa can handle it. She's handled worse than one scumbag sailor. But if you're getting into bed, you should take that dress off. It doesn't look bed-time comfy, and you might wanna wear it for the dinner if you feel up to going."

Anna noticed the way she hesitated at that, and figured her mother probably felt a bit vulnerable.

"I won't look, if that helps."

A shaky nod was her confirmation, so Anna got up from the bed and faced the door, giving Iduna a moment to undress herself in peace and find something else to wear to lie down. Her voice was barely more than a whisper when she said Anna could turn around, which she did, saw one of her mother's heavy nightgowns had replaced her summer dress. Probably too warm, but she imagined it felt... safer to be all covered up.

"Here, I'll hang that up. Get in to bed. Do you need anything?"

"Would... would you stay with me for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

Anna hung the dress up over the wardrobe door, then returned to the side of the bed, pulling the chair from Iduna's vanity over to sit on. Swaddled under heavy covers, she still shook a little. Anna reached out and took her hand after a minute, hoping she didn't spook her mother. Thankfully, she didn't, and felt her grip returned quite fiercely.

"It's ok. I'm here. Get some rest."

"Would you get me a cloth? My make-up feels sticky."

"Oh, sure. You'll have to let go of my hand though."

Iduna hiccuped, but let go of her hand. Anna went to get her a damp cloth from the bathroom, grabbing a hand mirror and a towel too. Her mother was grateful, scrubbing her messy make-up off. Her face was a little blotchy from crying, and Anna lacked Elsa's face-cooling powers, but at least her mother could sleep more comfortably now.

"You should go. You keep Elsa in check better than anybody."

"Are you sure you're alright to be alone?"

"I'm going to rest, and lock my door behind you. I will be... alright."

She couldn't reach right to 'fine', it seemed. Anna reluctantly nodded, pulled herself out of her seat. It felt wrong to leave Iduna alone, but Anna also knew now wasn't the time to push when her mother was feeling so fragile. She waited to hear the door lock behind her before leaving, commenting to Reid as he was nearby that Iduna was resting and not to be disturbed.

"Of course, Your Highness."

He bowed, and promised to ensure her peace for the time being. Anna thanked him, and after detouring to the bathroom to clean some smeared make-up from her dress, Anna headed back outside. She looked around, spotted Elsa still off to one side - outwardly, petting Sven, but when Anna looked for Kristoff, she saw their friend was chatting to... _him. _Her hands curled into fists at her side, but it wouldn't do to be caught visibly seething with rage, so she cut around the ice rink, smiling at any she passed to maintain the mood until she made it to her sisters side.

"What's going on?"

She asked quietly, and Elsa turned toward her with a sigh.

"I know mother was sure, but _I _need to be sure before I... do anything. So I asked Kristoff to talk to him, see if he can find anything out."

"What are you gonna do?"

Elsa rolled her head from side to side, neck cracking audibly.

"Oh, I was just thinking I'd invite him to see my ice palace. I can hardly do anything _here, _that wouldn't be good for Arendelle now would it?"

Anna sucked in a breath, well aware of what Elsa was getting at.

"You're not going to..."

"What? Anna, after what he did, I don't think _anything _is too much."

She chewed her lip, torn between agreeing and worrying what could happen to Elsa if she went down _that _road.

"No, you're right. Just... be careful? I don't want you to use your powers in a way you'll regret."

Elsa sighed, but she turned to Anna with a soft expression.

"I appreciate you looking out for me. Is mother resting?"

"Yeah. She actually sent me out here because, in her words, I 'keep you in check better than anyone else'. So I think she's worried about you too, but she wanted to get some sleep. I made sure she locked herself in."

Nodding, Elsa turned back to watch Kristoff and _him, _letting out a long sigh.

"What?"

Anna asked.

"I'm just irate that he chose today, because I can't get away until tomorrow after inviting all these guests to Arendelle."

"Oh, right. Well, it's only one more day. Freeze the ocean, his boat can't go anywhere then."

Elsa shook her head, fond but exasperated smile on her face.

"I rather think that would defeat the point of this whole... reassurance attempt, if I were to repeat the issue I caused at my coronation."

"Oh yeah, good point. Oh well, let's stick to it's only one more day. You won't tell on us, right Sven?"

Sven shook his head very vigorously, almost knocking them with his antlers in his eagerness to answer. Anna reached up and petted him too in thanks.

"You better make sure Kristoff never mentions to mother that he knows... anything. She'd be so upset."

"Of course. I would never have told him anything, but I know _his_ sort would never talk of such things to a lady, let alone a monarch."

After a few minutes more, Kristoff seemed to excuse himself under guise of checking on Sven, audibly calling out to the reindeer who got quite animated as he often did whenever Kristoff called his name in that playful tone. As soon as he got close enough, he looked to Elsa and gave her a short, sharp nod. Elsa cursed under her breath, and Anna felt a brisk chill in the air before Elsa managed to get a lid on herself again, stopping just short of bringing down extra snow. Though nobody would have noticed, as there was a gentle snowfall over the ice to keep the area cold.

"I'll give it a few minutes before I go over, otherwise it would be very suspicious. Who knew all those years of _conceal, don't feel _would come in handy."

Their father's mantra coming in so Elsa could avenge their mother's pain.

"What should I do?"

"Nothing, for now. I need to approach him as the Queen, talk trade or something to ensure he stays in port until tomorrow. Without giving away how he turns my stomach."

Anna reached for Elsa's hand and squeezed it.

"You'll be fine. Just try not to freeze him where everyone can see. They might get a little worried, and we can hardly explain."

"Indeed."

Elsa took a minute to gather herself, before she straightened up into her full regal posture, and after taking another deep breath, she started walking. Anna did her best not to watch too much, loathe as she was to take her eyes off _him _while Elsa was getting ever closer. Thankfully, Kristoff came over to try and distract her.

"I hope Elsa throws a whole winter's storm at him. He was _vile._"

"Well, we knew that already."

Kristoff nodded, scowling.

"I know, but... he's drunk, and saying horrible things about random women. I had to pretend I was agreeing with him to get him talking, and now I feel like I need _two _baths."

At least with a visible guard while talking to somebody important he was hoping to gain profitable trade from, Anna hoped Elsa was going to be spared the worst of his attitude. And she was more than used to dealing with men who looked down on women, having scared the wits out of several before while working. She could still see the tension in Elsa's shoulders, as her dress had a dip in the back that exposed some of her pale skin and revealed muscles pulled tight.

The man looked pleased with the conversation, and Elsa left without freezing him on the spot. She scowled once her back was turned to him, but there was a guard between him and her back, so she was quite safe.

"So?"

Anna asked as she approached, and Elsa nodded, gesturing to the guards to stand 'private conversation' distance away.

"He's happy to wait until tomorrow, as I have important business to tend to this evening. He was somewhat disappointed I couldn't invite him to the festivities, though, after I explained that dinner was nobility only."

It was technically a dinner for guests, but most of those guests were high-ups and their family or entourage from various other kingdoms and the like, so that was a fair enough assessment. Anna frowned, glancing back to the castle and hoping their mother would be feeling better soon.

* * *

Elsa didn't _love _hosting and being the centre of attention at the best of times. With everything that had happened that day looming over them, she was even less enamoured, but it would have been the height of rudeness not to attend to the guests _she'd _invited over. At least once the initial introductions and greetings were all out of the way, a grand five-course meal and freely flowing drinks meant few people paid her close attention unless she approached them.

Anna was managing to be her usual enchanting self, dressed in a beautiful gown and glittering with the right sort of jewels for such an event, including the bracelet Elsa had gifted her for her birthday. Elsa herself was dressed a little more conservatively than she usually would; Anna often enthused how lovely she looked with dresses that displayed her collarbones or shoulders, but Elsa was quite keen not to draw such attentions from any men hoping to strike up a political marriage. Even without her sexual preferences and... _Anna,_ tonight was _not _the night she was going to be able to deal with that.

She looked for her mother, who had rested and re-dressed and brightened her features with make-up, but there was still tension in her frame, and she was rarely more than a few feet from at least one of her daughters, or Kristoff, who was warm and kind and someone Iduna had never felt threatened by. Sven hadn't been able to come along, as the ballroom was incompatible with his antlers, but he and Olaf had been given a pile of treats and a couple of the servants quite fond of them had agreed to stay and entertain the two.

Though she was sure it was as exquisitely prepared as it ever was, Elsa barely tasted her food, and only years of training drummed in prevented her simply picking at it out of disinterest. It wouldn't have shown Arendelle Castle in a good light, if even the _Queen _didn't like the food prepared there. And while she wasn't wholly concerned with appearances over the issues that had arisen earlier that day, it was just for one night - a night _she _had arranged to begin with.

"I must say, Your Majesty" the new Weselton Duke, less short and irritating than his predecessor "I had my reservations, but you really do know how to throw a party."

Gifting him with a small smile, Elsa inclined her head.

"Thank you. I'm sure we're all keen to put the past behind us and move on."

"Oh, of course. That weasel I replaced was annoying to us all, and Weselton extends a fresh apology for his men making attempts on your life."

Elsa nodded.

"Apology accepted. Again."

"Most gracious. Now, I heard tale you didn't dance at your coronation, but I have also heard talk that you have learned to dance since. Might I impose upon you by asking for a little twirl?"

Though she didn't want to, Elsa nodded.

"So long as it's only _dancing _on your mind. Tonight is about friendship, not romance."

"But of course. Are you alright with me leading?"

Elsa nodded and held out her hand; though not by as much as the previous Duke, he was still shorter than her, but so was Anna and Anna knew both how to lead and follow, and had taught Elsa both too. Though they mostly just took turns leading with each other, but it was good practice all the same.

"I apologise, my hands will be cold."

He had on gloves, like many of the men there, but Elsa still thought it prudent to warn him.

"It's to be expected with a power like yours. And you know the old adage? Cold hands, warm heart. You've made great strides to display that since you took your crown. Which, I can't help but notice, you aren't wearing."

Elsa grit her teeth at his little fishing trip comment, but forced herself to keep smiling as she followed his step.

"My father never liked to wear his all the time either. Perhaps it's just an Arendellian thing. Also, my personal stylist is unwell, and I need a haircut before my hair can be put back into that regal style. Unfortunate timing, but what can we do?"

He let out a short chuckle, and Elsa felt relieved he seemed to be merely being nosy rather than overtly political about it.

"Your hair is _quite_ magnificent, if you'll pardon my saying. I suppose it's a part of your magic, but it really is a most unique shade."

It was still a little strange to have people comment so freely on her magic. At least, those who weren't Arendellian citizens. The song they were moving to wound down, and Elsa politely parted ways from the Duke. It did seem as though they ended the dance on slightly better terms than it started, which was the entire point of the evening itself.

And once she was through with the evening, Elsa knew she'd be able to focus more on what the next day would bring.

-IEA-

**Obviously, Elsa would rather dance with Anna than some Duke, but duty calls!  
**


	22. Chapter 22

**I'll be honest. This might be the last chapter of the fic. Some of the responses I got last chapter were _horrific. _I rarely moderate comments and I had to delete four. I enjoy writing this fic, but it isn't worth my mental health. So if you're a rape-apologist, shut the fuck up :) **

-IEA-

Though the party itself had been pleasant enough, Iduna couldn't describe the previous day as anything other than _rough. _It had been draining, emotional and had left her quite shaken up. Even after napping the previous day, she'd slept heavily through the night, occasionally woken by nightmares but they weren't as bad as she'd been dreading. She'd even overslept - with her door locked and instructions for nobody to disturb her, Iduna hadn't truly risen for the day until Anna came to check on her after breakfast.

Her younger daughter had brought along Iduna's favourite fare to ensure she'd eaten, and the bowl of yoghurt, berries and honey brought a smile to her face, even if being brought breakfast in bed made her feel a little childish. Or reminded her of her recovery time...

"Where's Elsa?"

"Uh. Out."

Iduna frowned, confused by Elsa having left the castle so early in the morning. Then she realised where her older daughter had gone.

"She hasn't..."

"She has, but we're not meant to talk about it. The less anyone knows, the better, right?"

Iduna swallowed thickly, reaching for water to try and clear her throat.

"Yes."

The thought of Elsa doing... whatever it was she had planned to do did not sit well with Iduna. But then she imagined if the roles were reversed, if someone had hurt one of her girls and then had the gall to be anywhere near them again... her hand curled into a fist without thought, and Anna frowned.

"Are you alright mother?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yes. Could I have some time to eat and dress for the day?"

"Oh. Sure! I'll uh, leave you to it. I'm gonna go... entertain the guests, since Elsa isn't here to do it. So you'll either find me in the big dining room or the big reception room. Either way, everyone has a hangover after last night so it's gonna be a pretty quiet morning."

It was only then Iduna realised how Anna was dressed. Given her more casual attitude, she occasionally turned up to breakfast still in her nightdress, but that morning she was done up quite formally. Making a mental note to choose suitable attire herself, she bade her daughter goodbye for a time and made her way through her breakfast slowly. Cleansing herself in the bathroom, Iduna picked out a nice dress for the day, and allowed one of the ladies to help with her hair and make-up once she was dressed.

"Queen Elsa left this for you. I've been assured it won't melt."

Confused, Iduna looked at what the woman was holding out. Presented in a necklace display box, it was a delicate chain clearly crafted from Elsa's own ice magic, glittering in the sunlight. The chain was thin and pretty, but completely outshone by the intricately formed snowflake pendant it bore.

"Oh. It's lovely."

"Shall I help you put it on, or would you prefer not to wear it this morning? Her Majesty insisted she would not mind if you did not wear it."

"No no, I'd like to wear it. I do hope it won't melt, a wet mark on the front of my dress would not do well."

She trusted Elsa's magic enough, had seen proof it was capable of being long lasting in the magnificent palace she'd built, in the living creatures that had been formed by her. It was _cold _when first laid on, but seemed to warm to her skin without melting as it settled around her neck. Not too tight, which Iduna appreciated, seeing the snowflake lay neatly just below the jewel on her collar. It was absolutely beautiful, and she felt warmed by the sweet gesture.

Iduna fretted for her daughter's safety, and would until Elsa returned. But she ought to go and help Anna keep the guests pacified, and so once she was fully made up and groomed, Iduna allowed someone to lead her to where everybody had congregated. A table of snacks and drinks was laid out to ensure nobody got peckish and started wandering the castle, though several attendees still looked a little... _delicate _after overindulging the night before.

"Ah, my lady Iduna, good of you to join us!"

Iduna wasn't sure who the man was, and backed away from his already-tipsy familiarity when he reached out to her. He seemed to remember himself enough to lower his hand, raising a glass of wine as he chattered away to her. Anna spotted her, and mercifully came to her rescue.

"Mother! Sorry sir, I need to borrow her for a moment."

"Of course Princess Anna! Oh, just a question, but will the Queen be joining us this morning?"

"Her Majesty had some business to attend to, but I'm sure she'll be along when she can. Do enjoy your morning."

Anna led her away quickly, and Iduna realised her daughter was holding her hand. She usually found it peculiar when Anna did it - usually out of habit, as she held Elsa's hand so often - but she didn't find it objectionable just then. If anything, she found it quite comforting, an anchor against her anxiety after the stranger had almost touched her. Anna didn't seem to realise she was doing it, or if she did she had decided to continue doing it.

"Are you alright?"

Her daughter asked softly, and Iduna nodded.

"Fine. Thank you."

Anna smiled, eyes dropping.

"You're wearing the necklace Elsa made."

Iduna raised her free hand to the pendant, nodding slowly.

"Yes. It's very pretty."

Anna's smile widened.

"Yeah, Elsa's magic always is."

Iduna looked around, confused by a lack of familiar faces that weren't in uniform.

"Where's Kristoff?"

Anna checked nobody was too close, voice lowered for privacy when she answered.

"With Elsa."

Ah. That made sense, she supposed; Elsa probably wouldn't have wanted to make a big show of taking the carriages and assorted entourage for what she had planned. Her worry flooded back, and Anna squeezed her hand.

"It's gonna be ok. You don't have to stay here if you want to go back to your room and rest."

"Oh, no, I'll be fine. And I can hardly leave you to manage representing Arendelle all alone."

Anna finally released her hand, and Iduna was surprised to realise she missed it. Her daughter gave her a tight smile before moving along to talk to someone else; if nothing else, the previous evening did seem to have had the desired effect. The atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, compliments about the get-together passed around as guests enthused about the food and drink and Elsa's hosting. So the intention of improving relations had been realised so far. Hopefully, none of them would grow irritated with Elsa's absence, but anyone who asked seemed understanding enough that the monarch was busy; most were leaders of something or other in their own right, and probably had duties mounting up back home themselves. It was just lucky that few could resist a party.

Or the urge to peek around Arendelle after what happened at Elsa's coronation, she suspected.

"Do you know what time the Queen might join us?"

"I don't. I trust my daughter's skills in running the kingdom, and so I do not question her timekeeping. The invite was for last night, she did not promise her time this morning. But please do enjoy yourself."

The nobleman blinked a few times as he processed Iduna's response, and by then she'd already moved off under pretense of perusing the table of refreshments. Hopefully he didn't think she was being rude. Anna caught her eye, threw her a reassuring smile. She knew they both worried about Elsa, Anna perhaps more than her considering how... _close _her daughters were. Anxiety fluttered in her chest, and she hoped Elsa wouldn't be gone too long, hoped her daughter wasn't hurt and hoped just as much that whatever she was doing wouldn't come back to haunt them.

* * *

"I guess technically, you didn't do anything. But how did you know he would?"

Kristoff stood off to the side, sweating with exertion from helping bury the evidence. There was still more mess to be cleaned up. Elsa crossed her arms, surveying the scene left behind.

"He was made from my fear. The reason _Marshmallow_" the name sounded somewhat ridiculous given the circumstances, but who were they to deny what Olaf had named the snow-creature? "is generally so docile is because I am now happy, no longer fearful. He responded to my anger toward _that._"

She spat the last word, then looked up at how Marshmallow was now far more at ease, though the same edge Elsa felt was no doubt there. Thinking on how to clean up the blood on the ground, Elsa looked around a little before conjuring up fresh snow, then melting it to puddle over the blood. Once frozen again, she swept it up into the air, willing it to disappear and hoping it wouldn't simply splatter back down. Thankfully, her magic took the evidence away in a fading flurry, leaving nothing behind but the knowledge shared between her, Kristoff and Sven. And Marshmallow, but she doubted he would - or _could, _given the lack of visitors to the Ice Palace - divulge the secret. With the body buried in the snow on the top of a particularly treacherous mountain, guarded by her snow-guardian, discovery was all but impossible.

"Huh. Well, I don't think he suffered enough, but then neither of us are really torturers."

Elsa hummed.

"Quite. I realise you know this, but nobody can know what happened up here. And though she may have questions about your presence here, I hope mother never knows that _you _know why this was something I had to do to begin with."

"Yeah, I get it. I know nothing!"

Kristoff made a gesture as if locking his mouth shut and tossing away the key, and Elsa couldn't help but chuckle.

"Thank you. I'm sure I don't say it enough, but I really do appreciate you Kristoff."

"Aww, you'll make me blush! Which actually might help, cus my face is freezing! I mean I love ice, but unlike you I'm not actually part ice and I do think it's a bit brisk up here."

"Let's head down a little out of the worst of the cold, and then Sven can rest before we head back."

"Sounds good."

Kristoff hunted out some firewood and he and Sven warmed up by a fire for a little while, and Elsa amused herself making little shapes of ice and melting them again. She was itching to get home, to reassure her mother and Anna and hopefully ensure that the previous night had not been entirely wasted, as her absence might have upset some of the visitors.

They were on their way back before long, but the sun had set over Arendelle before they made it back to the castle. Thankfully, she was back in time to see off some of those who were leaving, and they seemed cheerful enough with that.

"We must do this again some time Your Majesty!"

"I agree. I wish you a safe passage home."

"Thank you."

Her heart lifted on sight of Anna, who had obviously heard she was back before Elsa had chance to find her herself. Their mother was not far behind, and the two joined in waving off some guests before Anna hugged Elsa tight.

"Not here."

Elsa reminded her, and Anna nodded into her neck before pulling back, beaming.

"I missed you."

"Missed you too. Let's get inside, I need to change for dinner."

Anna held her hand the whole way in, talking casually about her day spent with the guests, never venturing into more serious topics. The crew of the sailor currently buried under several feet of snow and a giant building made of ice were still in port, and Elsa was sure that some would know the last place their captain was seen was with her. If they made a fuss, she could always simply have them kicked out of the city with ease, though that would have caused a scene so she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Much as I'd like to allow you along, I feel that would make us late for dinner and we don't have time. I'll tell you both everything later. Head along, I'll be down in a moment."

Elsa went and quickly washed herself, then had to be helped into one of her gowns for dinner as she couldn't do the back fastening herself. Freshened up in record time, Elsa made sure to change her boots before she went to join everybody for dinner. It was much tamer than the previous night, as half of the guests had gone home, but the more relaxed atmosphere reassured her that the previous evening had gone well.

"I apologise for being absent today, it was just one thing after another."

"Oh, we understand Your Majesty, the demands on rulers is never ending! But it's good of you to join us for dinner."

Everybody seemed cordial enough about it, and once everybody had had a drink, they settled even more and it allowed Elsa to keep an eye on Iduna. Her mother seemed tense still, but not as much as the day before. Kristoff gave no indication that anything amiss had gone on that day, though Elsa suspected he was putting on something of a front; supportive as he was, Kristoff had facilitated the end of a life, and he was no killer. He had _offered _to help, but still.

The end of dinner was quite the relief, and once Elsa had seen the guests off for the evening so they could go to bed, she allowed her posture to sink, shoulders sagging down a little. It had been an early start to avoid being noticed leaving Arendelle with Kristoff and _him, _so she'd not gotten much sleep. And it had been a long day just with the travelling and then having to put on a show for their guests again.

"Library?"

Anna asked, and Elsa agreed. They separated to get into their comfortable clothes, and Elsa requested the usual drinks be brought up to them, and requested two of the guards do a check to ensure no wayward guests would be eavesdropping on their conversations. Anna naturally followed Elsa, and as soon as they were behind closed doors her sister all but leapt on Elsa, attempting to catch up on a days worth of missed kisses and cuddles. Elsa was happy to indulge her for a moment, soaking in the warmth of Anna's body and relaxing more than she had since they curled up in bed together the night before.

"I know, I know, but the others are waiting and mother needs to know he's gone."

Anna sighed dramatically, but nodded her agreement.

"You're right, I know. I'll go change, meet you there?"

Pecking another kiss on her sister's lips, Elsa nodded. Anna helped undo the dress she had on, pouting about having to leave before it came off because Elsa _knew _what Anna was like. Once changed and with her dressing gown tied securely, Elsa went to join her family in the library they often spent their family game nights in. Kristoff and Iduna were already there, and Anna wasn't far behind Elsa.

"Where's Olaf?"

"Oh, he went to spend the day at the school and sent a note to say he was going to a sleepover. I made sure a member of staff supervised him at the school, and then checked the parents were alright with the sleepover, but you know the kids love him and it's not like he's a difficult house guest. He doesn't need to eat and drink, just keep him away from fires."

Elsa smiled.

"True. He's basically a child himself. Just... made of snow."

She could see her mother was _itching_ to ask, but they were waiting on the drinks before conversation turned to such matters. Thankfully, they weren't waiting long, and everyone but Elsa topped up their hot drinks with a shot of something stronger before they started. Elsa made sure to seal the doors with her magic, as it made for additionally reassuring soundproofing.

"So what happened up there? He didn't try anything did he?"

"He was overly friendly and drinking, but I think my magic and Kristoff made for quite a deterrent. Enough to get him up the mountain anyway. And then I... introduced him to Marshmallow."

Anna's eyes widened.

"Oh, of course! He sort of knows what you're feeling, so I guess he could tell you were mad at the guy."

"Precisely."

"It was messy. Like, really messy. But it's all cleaned up now!"

Elsa watched their mother taking a long draw from her mug before she turned and looked right at Elsa.

"He's gone?"

"He's gone."

The tension that leeched out of her was clear, though there was a weight of words unsaid in the air. Kristoff was obviously exhausted and excused himself once he'd finished his drink, and the three women were quiet themselves for several minutes after he left.

"How do you feel about it?"

Anna eventually asked, watching Elsa closely.

"I don't feel anything really, other than relief he's gone. No guilt, if you were worried."

She seemed relieved to hear that, leaning in to Elsa's side and sighing.

"Good. He's not worth feeling bad about."

"Exactly. How do you feel now, mother?"

"I... I'm not sure. I wish you hadn't... but I'm glad he's gone. I just need time to process, I think."

"Of course. We should get to bed soon anyway."

As if on cue, Anna let out a long yawn.

"Yeah, bed sounds good. Come on, let's get going before I decide to sleep here. You make a great pillow Elsa."

Feeling a fond smile cross her lips, Elsa reluctantly pried Anna off her side, placing her empty mug down before she got to her feet. Anna gratefully took a hand to help her up, rubbing her eyes and looking utterly adorable. It seemed an unspoken agreement that they'd walk their mother back to her room, as she was still feeling shaken by the reappearance of that man the day before. It would take time for her to realise she was permanently safe from him now.

Iduna's hand stilled on her door handle, turning to look at her daughters with an unreadable expression.

"What's wrong?"

Anna asked, too tired for subtlety.

"It's silly."

"No, no. Tell us."

"Would you... sit with me for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

They didn't hesitate to agree, and so followed her in to her room. There was some awkward waiting around and bathroom trips, but soon enough Iduna was sliding under her covers, tiredness clear on her face. Anna went and perched on the edge of the bed, fiddling with one of her braids.

"Want us to stay til you fall asleep?"

A timid nod was the only confirmation, and rather than take a chair, Anna laid down on her back - on top of the covers, naturally - next to their mother. It was an... interesting sight, but Elsa shoved those thoughts away. The bed was plenty big enough.

"Come on Elsa, don't just stand there!"

As though she wasn't asking Elsa to _get in the bed with their mother, _Anna pouted until Elsa rolled her eyes and shuffled over, sitting awkwardly on Iduna's other side. She was pretty sure she'd have to try and wake Anna without disturbing their mothers rest before long, as Anna's eyes were already fluttering open and closed in that way they often did before slumber happened.

But after the last couple of days she'd had, Elsa couldn't possibly have denied their mother the comfort she needed there and then. So, awkward as she felt, Elsa sat and waited for her mother to fall asleep. At least the next day wouldn't involve a murder. Well, _hopefully _not.

-IEA-

**I didn't include the whole death bit explicitly cus, well, I didn't know how many people wanted to read a graphic murder. And I hope the dickheads have all gone away, cus we're alllllmost at the good stuff! It'd be a shame to have to abandon it now.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Still taking this chapter by chapter right now, but here we are. My writing this chapter is dedicated to FM (I hope you know who you are!), otherwise I'd probably not have touched it for another few weeks, to be honest.  
**

-IEA-

Something was different when she woke up, and it took Iduna a minute to pinpoint what it was. The strange mix of cool at her front and warmth behind her made a lot more sense when she opened her eyes and saw a lot of snow-white hair, though she could not for the life of her think why Elsa was in her bed. Nor Anna, who must be the warm figure against her back. Elsa was at an awkward angle, head tilted toward the other two in a way that suggested she'd fallen asleep sitting up while looking at Anna.

After thinking for a minute, Iduna remembered shyly asking them to stay with her for a few minutes, and Anna saying they'd stay until she fell asleep. Remembered them settling either side of her as she tried to drift off. They were still above the covers, but Anna was as undignified in slumber as she had been as a girl, limbs slung across the bed while Elsa was a little more composed in her posture. Because they were on top of her covers, Iduna had no way of moving without waking them, but she knew that was the wisest choice anyway - given that people in the castle undoubtedly knew of the relationship between her daughters, their spending a night in Iduna's bed could have caused... _talk._

Elsa jerked upright as soon as Iduna shook her, skin of her shoulder cool to the touch where her nightgown had slipped down. She raised a hand to her neck, groaning in pain before she looked around, confused.

"I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"I know."

Once she had her bearings, Elsa immediately got off the bed, heading over to peer past the drapes to get a gauge on the time and shielding her eyes from the sunrise she found. Turning her attention back to the bed, Elsa had an unreadable expression for a minute before she quickly crossed over and leant down to rouse Anna, still rubbing the back of her stiff neck with her free hand.

"Anna, wake up!"

"Five more minutes..."

Anna mumbled before she burrowed into Iduna. It was a rather strange feeling, but Iduna was not yet awake enough to entirely suppress the thought that it was not an _unpleasant _feeling, forcing herself to pull away before those thoughts continued. Anna made a noise of complaint before she seemed to realise something was going on, like the covers being underneath her, or her cuddling partner being _warm. _Unlike Elsa.

"Oh. Ok. Not our room."

She yawned and rubbed her face before sitting up, peering around through sleepy eyes to find Iduna tugging a dressing gown over her nightwear. She felt oddly off-kilter, even without the... events of the last few days to knock her off balance.

"You girls should go. There's enough in this castle to cause gossip without... _this._"

Anna frowned, but it seemed she hadn't woken up enough to argue. Elsa took hold of Anna by the hand and mumbled that they'd probably see each other at breakfast before sweeping out, Anna in tow. Iduna caught a brief snippet of conversation where Elsa was explaining they'd fallen asleep talking to whomever she'd found outside Iduna's bedroom door. Their clearly sleep-rumpled appearances probably gave her words credibility, but Iduna was also acutely aware that they'd heard the same reasonings before, back when the girls at least made more of a pretence about not sharing a bed _every _night.

Still, she felt a little bad for chasing them out like that when she'd been the one who wanted them to stay with her the night before. And honestly, she'd slept better last night than she had in weeks. Iduna shook off her musings and focused on preparing for the day. The amount of guests in the castle had dwindled greatly, but they were still entertaining until the next day when everyone had had time to re-supply and prepare for the more lengthy homeward journeys.

As she dressed, Iduna noticed something was missing. After a minute of thought, she realised it was the weight that she'd been carrying around since she got back. Despite her distaste and disapproval for Elsa's actions... she felt lighter than she had in months, _safe _again even. She rolled the delicate snowflake pendant between her fingers for a few seconds before deciding to wear it that day, calling someone in to help her finish getting ready before she went to join the others at breakfast.

Another thing she noticed was that actually, she rather missed their usual way of taking meals, missed the more casual, chirpy morning atmosphere of breakfast shared with the staff rather than an assortment of high society from other kingdoms. It seemed she'd settled in to what she'd once seen as unusual.

To make up for her absence the day before, Elsa spent the morning entertaining their guests personally. Kristoff was nowhere to be seen, but Iduna supposed after what they'd..._ done _yesterday, he needed some time to himself.

He was back that evening, and though a little more quiet and subdued than Iduna was used to, Kristoff didn't appear resentful of the task he'd been involved with as the small family unit had their time in the library. Nobody was in the mood for games night, but drinks and conversation and company were more than enough for them that night.

The sailors missing their captain eventually left port again, though there were murmurs of the Queen having been seen with him but nobody seemed brave enough to accuse Elsa of any wrong-doing or misbehaving, particularly when they weren't likely to have any proof unless they climbed the North Mountain and got past the protective snow creature. And, like any other rumours that had no encouragement, Iduna was sure those little murmurs would pass. Once she saw the back of that ship disappearing over the horizon, she felt herself breathing easier.

* * *

As relieved as Elsa was that their little party had gone pretty well - _fantastically,_ given the things she'd managed to get away with in between entertaining guests and fulfilling Royal duties - it did mean that once everybody was home, planning for the Coronation had to _really _get going. Invitations she had to personally craft to ensure they felt genuine and, well, personal enough so as not to offend anybody who could not make it, and that meant finalising dates with all the various cooks and performers and designers...

Anna was 'helping', apparently. Though as she was fast asleep on the nearby chair, Elsa wasn't sure how helpful she was being, other than that her sister was very sweet to look at. Throwing a fond smile at her sleeping form, Elsa turned back to her papers and reminded herself that if things went well, it would be more than worth the effort. Ensuring continued faith in Arendelle, building new memories over a bad day, perhaps even being able to feel like celebrating instead of panicking.

And there'd be a portrait Elsa could _proudly_ hang alongside previous monarchs, honouring the faith in her fathers choice to name a female heir. Which had been her original motivation when the debate of re-staging her Coronation first came up.

With her invitation to Corona finished, Elsa laid down her tools and stretched her arms up over her head. There were still more to do, but her wrists were starting to hurt and her handwriting would soon suffer if she didn't take a break. After enjoying watching Anna look so very adorable for a few minutes more, Elsa rose from her seat, tidied up her desk and crossed over to shake Anna awake. Her sister mewled and wriggled before she jerked awake, blinking blearily before her eyes landed on Elsa and a smile split her face.

"Hi."

"Hello sleepy-head. Come on, let's get out of here."

Still smiling, Anna let Elsa help her to her feet, leaning against her and nuzzling into Elsa's side rather sweetly.

"Love you."

"I love you too, now wake up so we can go to dinner."

Anna huffed, but pulled away and rubbed her face, patting down her hair and straightening her dress.

"Alright, let's goooo."

Suddenly more alert, Anna grabbed her by the hand and happily led Elsa along. Staff had indulgent smiles half-hidden as they watched the Queen be dragged around by her precocious princess of a sister, well-used to the sight of Anna having come to retrieve Elsa from being buried in her work. They were first at dinner, though Kristoff, Sven and Olaf weren't far behind them. Their mother was last to join, but that wasn't unusual - ever since her attacker had been left up a mountain and his crew had left Arendelle, Iduna had come out of her shell more, and spent more time wandering Arendelle. It seemed she finally felt free and safe enough to be out alone.

On that alone, Elsa knew she'd never regret what she did.

She also spent more time with her daughters now - their relationship had obviously been frayed upon her return, as she did not take the news her daughters were intimately involved well. It had been getting better over time, and that pattern had continued.

"Good evening mother. Did you had a good afternoon?"

Elsa was happy their mother was happier to be around them, though it did mean... _awkward _thoughts occurred at inconvenient moments sometimes. Still, the attraction of daughters to mother was no good reason to deny their mother company and affection.

"I did. Frida at the bakery had some new savoury treats to test, and invited me for tea to sample them."

Anna beamed over at their mother, just as happy as Elsa was to see Iduna blooming more even as the summer prepared to fade for the year.

"Well, I can't taste-test _everything _over there, and you don't have a sweet tooth like us."

"Indeed. She did say she hopes you'll find time to go over there soon, to ensure the autumn sweets are up to standard."

"Oh, I can _definitely_ make time for Frida and Inga's gingerbread."

Elsa smiled to herself as they chatted. Kristoff was still sometimes a little quiet, but he and Elsa had talked out what had happened, and he swore blind that he didn't resent her, nor did he regret being involved. Just taking his time to deal with it. Elsa didn't begrudge him that.

"And how are your plans coming along, Elsa?"

"Well. I wrote out several invitations earlier, and will continue tomorrow."

They spent the rest of the evening together, conversing about the upcoming festivities and the things they had each done with their day. Olaf was thrilled to hear there would be more parties to come, as the snowman loved to meet new people.

"It's a royal coronation, Olaf, you can't just run around misbehaving and chatting at the ceremony."

"I know, I know! But then afterwards there will be dancing and chocolate! Right?"

He asked, big eyes blinking up at Elsa. She nodded.

"Yes, there will. But we'll talk more about that tomorrow. Right now, it's time for bed."

Olaf pouted a bit, but didn't argue as everyone began to part ways for the night. They got goodnight hugs from their mother before Iduna left for her own room, and Anna slipped her hand into Elsa's as they headed toward their room. In a very snuggly mood, Anna got ready for bed quickly before lying down and demanding Elsa get a move on so they could cuddle. Indulging her sister, of course, Elsa slid beneath the covers and felt Anna's warm body curling up against her own, squirming when hot breath tickled her neck as Anna shifted to get comfy before she settled.

"I'm glad mother is doing so much better."

Elsa nodded her agreement, enjoying the softness of Anna's hair running through her fingers.

"So am I."

"Means she'll really be able to enjoy the next party, as Olaf calls it. Not sure he really understands what a big deal it is."

"I wish I could be so at ease about it all. Still, soon it will be done with, and Arendelle can build our future on a stronger foundation, and hopefully good relations with our neighbours."

Anna giggled, burrowing deeper against Elsa.

"And I can show my respect and admiration for the Queen all over again."

-IEA-

**I know this chapter was neither long nor particularly thrilling. I am very excited for next chapter, and if people are nice then I might even write it.**


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